About Last Night
by Gracie Facie
Summary: Toph wakes up one morning to startling memories about last night. Her love life is a wreck - - and she's not the only one. *Starts off with Tokka, eventual Taang, plus Zutara*
1. Ch 1: Prelude

_**I have been watching so much Avatar lately.**_

_**And reading so many fanfictions.**_

_**This one popped into my head.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

_**~~About Last Night~~**_

* * *

_**~~Prelude~~**_

Toph didn't open her eyes right away - - as if it made a difference.

She sat under the covers, listening to the world and taking in the smell. It was a weird combination, but it went together well.

It smelled like...like smoked salmon, and chocolate, with a hint of sweat and lilacs. Also...the earthbender wrinkled her nose. Fire Whiskey. And wine.

And the Earth. The little tent smelled of the Earth. This made her smile. She might not remember much about the night before, but waking up to the smell of pine needles and dirt was always a good morning for Toph.

Suddenly she became aware of someone breathing next to her, and waited a few minutes, trying to analyze the breathing patterns, afraid to reach out and touch whoever it was...

_It was hot. Really hot. But they didn't care. The heat took a backseat to their...activities. He, no longer crying, was too far gone. She, with her gray-green eyes half-closed and the fire whiskey pulsing through her veins, didn't care anymore. They'd been talking, but now she was on top of him, kissing him, and he was kissing her back. The conversation was forgotten. The only sounds now were occasional squeaks from her as his cold hands travelled up her arms, or the moans he involuntarily released when she kissed him just right. She could taste the fire whiskey on his breath, and she was dying to ask him a million questions, but her mouth was completely unwilling to depart from his._

_"No more words?" she managed to say as she gasped for air._

_"No, no more," he had replied, rolling over so that he was on top of her. He kissed her fiercely, his hands tangling in her clothing..._

Toph sat in stunned silence as the unsettling truth of last night replayed itself in her mind. She couldn't bleieve it.

Last night, she, Toph Bei Fong, had most definately lost her virginity.

To Sokka.

* * *

_**Ah HA! I got you interested, didn't I? :DDD**_

_**I guess there's not much here to review, but do it anyway? Please?**_


	2. Ch 2: I Need A Bath

_**Okay, since the last chapter was just a prelude (what a hussy-tease of a chapter, right?), here's the real deal!**_

* * *

Toph snorted to herself quietly, knowing it wouldn't wake the log laying next to her.

Well, this was just peachy-keen. She'd only been back with the group for two weeks and already she'd slept with someone. Namely, Sokka.

She had supposed it might happen sooner or later, but not neccessarily with Sokka. Sure, maybe she_ sometimes _fantasized about it being him, the love of her teenage years. Even now, aged sixteen, _four freaking years later_, she couldn't resist his dumb voice. She'd always found him endearingly stupid, and had sometimes hoped he'd eventually be _her_ stupid guy, but he was with Suki, so she figured she'd never get the shot.

Toph stiffened.

Suki.

What about Suki? There had been something important the night before, the reason they'd been drinking...

That's right, Sokka had been crying his damn eyes out because Suki had left him or something. To be quite honest, Toph hadn't been paying much attention to the details. Mostly, she'd seen it as another reason to take some of Sparky's fire whiskey and hang out with Sokka. Deadly combination, those two. She made a mental note never to do _that_ again.

She felt oddly serene about the whole situation, but that was probably either relief that it was Sokka, someone she knew, or the fact that it hadn't really fully hit her yet. Probably the latter.

Nevertheless, she'd better get out of here before he - -

"Mmm...My head..." She bristled at the sudden noise, pulling the blankets up instinctively to cover her chest, while feebly attempting to cover everything else.

"Good morning, _Sunshine_," she said sarcastically. Sokka turned blearily toward her, and she could tell from the vibrations that his heartbeat was beginning to speed up as he realized...

_They were locked in a fierce battle for dominance, as well as locked by the lips. Toph made an admirable oppenent in tongue hockey, as did Sokka. Soon, Sokka had her pinned to the blankets with one strong arm, while the other fumbled to remove her sash and undo the buttons on her tunic..._

Sokka's heartbeat was sky-rocketing now, at a rate that Toph guessed could probably make a hummingbird jealous. He shot straight up in the blankets, clearly about to say something. He regretted the quick movement, and she could feel the tension mounting in his neck as he supressed a cry. _Hangover_, she guessed.

"Toph?" He asked tentatively, and she could feel his gaze wandering from her face to the blankets she was clutching at her chest. She felt her face get hot, damn those cursed hormones. While she didn't know what a blush looked like, she knew that this one was definately visible. He didn't take his eyes off of her, and he didn't ask any more questions.

"What?" Toph said, flustered by his gaze. "Yes, it happened. No, there's no way to reverse it." _Did she really want to reverse it, anyway...?_

There was a silence, a surprisingly unawkward silence. She could feel him rubbing the back of his head, could tell he had his brow furrowed as he tried to remember. She grew impatient with him, wishing to do nothing but put some clothes on and get out of this tent. A few times he seemed ready to say something, but seemed to think better of it.

Finally, she felt him get up and get dressed, and let him walk out of the tent in his stunned silence.

For the first time since she'd known him, Sokka was actually speechless.

This day was going to drag on forever.

* * *

"Good morning, Toph! You certainly took your sweet time getting up this morning." Katara said cheerfully as Toph exited Sokka's tent. She stopped, but when nobody seemed to notice she'd come from the same tent as the boy, continued to walk forward, accepting the apple Katara held out to her for breakfast. She noticed from the vibrations that Sokka was looking anywhere but at her, and was making small talk with Aang.

"Yeah, I overslept. Plus, it was just so hot in there that I couldn't get up."

She smiled when she heard Sokka start to hack suddenly, and felt it when he coughed out whatever fruit he'd been eating for breakfast as Aang pounded on his back. She hadn't really meant to make him flustered, but it was an added bonus.

She listened to the Earth, studying her friends. None except for her and Sokka knew about last night, or else they would be more tense. Even Zuko, although it was hard to tell. That guy was always tense. She sighed and bit into her apple, wondering why she was even here in the first place.

It had all started two weeks ago, when Aang had come to Ba Sing Se on Appa to spend the day with her. He had sounded so excited for this trip - - with all the annoying saving-the-world crap squared away nice and neat, he figured it was time for everyone to relax. So he had mapped out a road trip. Er, sky trip. He'd gone on and on about the trip until Toph finally shouted "Hey, Twinkletoes, are you just going to keep yapping all day, or are you actually going to invite me?"

To which she had apparently received the patented Aang smile that she couldn't see, followed by a nod she also couldn't see, and then, when he remembered she was blind, he invited her in words.

So, she had given the palace notice of an undetermined amount of vacation time and taken off with Aang that evening.

Funny how she gets away with stuff like that.

At least, until now.

Maybe this was the world's way of getting back at her. Maybe it was trying to tell her something. But, unless that something was "Oh, dear EARTH this man has a sweet ass" then she clearly did not get the message.

_Really, World. some punishment. _She smirked a little. _In fact...I've been pretty bad...I might need _more_ punishment..._

"Punishment for what?" Toph looked up, surprised, at the sound of the young monk's voice. Had she just said that out loud? She felt her face get hot again. "Wow, Sifu T, your face is all red. Are you okay? Is it too hot? I can create a fan with airbending!"

A sudden gust of air on her face told him he was illustrating the point. She laughed a little, and waved away the gust of wind. Aang was such a nice kid. He was always looking out for others, as was the nature of the avatar. She remembered this nature like she spent every second of every day with the boy. Except...she didn't quite remember him ever sniffing her like he was now.

"What're you doing, Twinkletoes?" She snapped, pushing him away.

"Sorry. It's just that you smell funny." She raised an eyebrow and he continued hastily: "I-I mean, not bad, it's just kind of like salmon and chocolate, which is...well, different."

She felt Sokka tense up a few feet away.

Crap. She was beginning to notice it now, too. Was that the smell of...sex? She started to panic inwardly. What if someone noticed and identified it? What if someone just happened to smell Sokka in the same area and matched the smells?

"I-I just..." She furiously fought back the blush, thinking of Sokka in sex mode. _Oh, for Earth's sake - -_ "I just haven't bathed today!" She snapped, a little too vehemently. "I, uh, just need to find a river or something!"

"Well, if you can hold off for a few hours, we'll be in Tairo. You can bathe in their hot springs," Katara suggested.

Really? Sit on Appa for hours smelling like...like testosterone, sweat, and kanoodling? While sitting in an uncomfortably close space with the person who had made her smell this way? From the vibrations, she could tell Sokka was also not happy with that arrangement. But, there was no way to say she couldn't wait without raising suspicion, so...

"Yeah...Sure...I'll wait..."

* * *

_**Awww, poor Toph :( Although, I do find it funny that the smell makes her think of Sokka in "Sex mode" hahaha...**_

_**Please Review! I will love you :D**_


	3. Ch 3: On the Other Side of the Wall

_**I liked the last chapter, it was informative *nod nod***_

**_Let us go!_**

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Toph was in the springs in a second, quickly surrounding herself with the clean-smelling water and the stone floors that made her feet tingle. The water was perfect, nice and hot, and it got rid of the "Sex Stench" almost immediately. Katara had followed her, slower, humming to herself. The boys had gone into the boy's springs of course, not that Toph cared. She couldn't see them anyway.

The ride over here had been extremely uncomfortable. She didn't like flying normally, because she couldn't see, but this was worse. The whole ride there was an uncomfortable silence, with her and Sokka sitting on opposite sides of the saddle. And, as if to make things worse, Momo had taken an interest in their "Sex Stench" - - he would land on Toph, sniff her all over, then go do the same to Sokka. They were lucky nobody took the hint.

She was completely under the water now, scrubbing every inch of her body, when she felt Katara's body reverberate with a sigh. She slowly surfaced, facing where she thought Katara was. She waited as the water bender's vibrations stayed constant, obviously staring off into the distance, and then her curiousity got the better of her.

"Okay, I'll bite. What's up?"

Katara seemed to be a little apprehensive, but she answered anyway. "I just miss having Suki around. I know she only left yesterday morning, but it's like the whole group ratio is off."

Toph raised an eyebrow. "Group Ratio?"

"You know, now there's three boys and two girls. It's weird, is all."

"You're weird, Sweetness," Toph snorted, sinking into the water again, only to resurface seconds later with a question. "So...What exactly _did_ happen to our favorite Kiyoshi Warrior?"

Toph could feel Katara look at her funny. "You mean you don't even know?" When she shook her head, the waterbender made a huffing noise and continued: "You obviously weren't paying much attention, then. She got a letter yesterday morning by Hawk-Eagle. It was from her parents, telling her to come back to the island. Now, Sokka doesn't know this because Suki didn't want to tell him, but her parents are setting her up. That's why she had to break up with him before she left."

"Setting her up? Like what?"

"Like marriage."

* * *

She didn't want to get out of the bath. She had felt Katara leave a few minutes before, and so was now leaning against the wall that divided the boy's bath from the girl's bath. The ground was telling her that Sokka was just on the other side, alone as well. She could hear his heartbeat surprisingly well - - in fact, she'd been more acute for his heartbeat all day. It was probably a result of their intimacy the night before.

_His heartbeat was fast, but his movements were slow. Every time they kissed, it was a spark, and his heartbeat would spike. She felt that it was unnaturally high, which momentarily worried her - - she didn't need a dead man on her watch, much less dying of a heart attack. She pushed the thought away and put her hands on his face, slightly pulling him off of herself. She wanted to feel the structure of his face - - to SEE him. She ran her hands along his brow and over his eyes, and then moved back to his strong cheekbones and square chin. He made a contented noise, and his hands were on top of her own, overpowering her slight push. She could feel the skin on his cheeks, flushed with fire whiskey and rough from not shaving, and didn't argue when he kissed her again. On her mouth, her cheeks, her neck. His hands released hers, and travelled up her torso..._

Toph pushed the memory away, but not without a contented sigh. She still didn't feel all that weird about last night. It had just happened, and there really was no way to stop it.

"Toph?" She heard Sokka's voice through the wall. "Is that you?"

She leaned her forehead against the wall. "Yeah, it's me."

She heard him sigh, and felt the vibrations as he pressed his hands and forehead against the wall. She could feel his heartbeat, slow and punctual, a lulling tone...she smiled against the wall.

"Toph?" He said again, and his lulling heartbeat quickened a little, ruining her new favorite song with the sound of nervousness.

"What?" she snapped, with a little more venom than she intended. She felt Sokka cringe on the other side, and draw away from the wall a little.

"Nevermind," he said, almost too quiet for Toph to hear. As he turned to walk away, her heart fell into her stomach. He sounded so dejected. What was he going to say? Before she knew it she had turned around to face the wall, hands pressed against the cold stone, and shouted after him:

"Sokka, wait!" She felt him stop. "I didn't mean to snap at you. What were you saying?"

He had waded back over to the wall, and was just about to say something when - -

"Hey, Sokka! You coming?" Came the clear, crisp voice of the Avatar. She felt Sokka tense, and then sigh and hesitantly turn around.

"Yeah, yeah, hold your ostrich-horses, I'm coming." He said, walking away from the wall.

Toph sighed, and began to get out herself.

* * *

The town of Tairo was small, but with lots of things to do. Twinkletoes had been going on and on all day about the numerous fun things to do around town. They all decided to go seperate ways, according to interests. Aang had already flown off to find a friend of his, and Katara and Zuko were talking about going to the market to get supplies for dinner tonight. Toph knew Sokka was probably going to go shopping, and she really didn't want to do that. So, she was left to wander around in search of the mountain-side. She wanted to be among the rocks, to feel the Earth, alone for a while. All this stuff with Sokka was confusing her, and she needed to get away from the group.

But before she could take two steps, a hand closed around her wrist. Sokka. He was pulling her in a different direction, telling the remaining group they were going to the park.

She hadn't even spoken to him since yesterday afternoon, in the baths. Which was okay with her, she wasn't all that talkative, but she had been wondering what he was going to say. And now - - well, now he was taking her somewhere. She couldn't tell where, they were going too fast, but he seemed to know what he was doing, so she kept quiet. She loved the way his hand felt on her wrist. He might have been a little rough, but_ she_ was Toph Bei Fong. _She_ was the definition of "rough".

Finally they stopped, and he let go of her wrist. She couldn't feel the sunlight, and the vibrations told her that, while people weren't near, they were still in the town. An alleyway, she decided.

"So, what's up with the kidnapping?" She asked, leaning against the cold stone wall of the alley. She expected a rebuttal about how it wasn't a kidnapping, but it didn't come. Instead, Sokka shifted uneasily, and she could tell he was scratching the back of his head, his back still to her, standing just a few steps away. She sighed. "This is about the other night, isn't it?"

She felt him tense up, and knew she'd hit the nail on the head. So he _did_ regret it. Oh, well, it was fun while it lasted, pretending he was interested...

"Look, Snoozles," she said. "It's alright if you regret it. You don't have to apologize. We were drunk, and stupid. Let's just forget it."

She felt him relax, but now he just seemed confused as he turned toward her. She felt his gaze on her, and turned her face away so that he couldn't see her blush. She felt him move closer and breathed deeply, trying to stop her heart from beating quite so fast.

He smacked his hand on the wall next to her head, making her jump.

"S-Sokka, What're you - -"

"You really think I regret it?" He asked her, in his low voice. He sounded a little angry, but also a little hurt. A tingle travelled up her spine, and she held her breath. "I mean, yeah, I _was_ going to apologize, but only because I thought _you_ regretted it. Do you, Toph? Do you regret it?"

_His hand were oh-so-amazing, and his lips were better. Sometimes it hurt, oh it hurt, but he was there, twirling his fingers in her hair, whispering against her mouth, telling her it was okay, it was okay..._

"Well? Do you regret it?"

_She couldn't keep her hands off of him. His strong shoulders, his chiseled abs, so far from the scrawny kid she'd met four years ago. His arms so much stronger, his voice so much huskier. So much...sexier._

"No." Toph said decisively, standing a little straighter against the wall. "I don't regret it at all."

"You...you don't?" There was surprise in his voice as he pulled his hand away from the wall, stepping back. She stepped forward.

"No. Why would I? It could have been worse. I could've woken up next to some guy I've never met, or to multiple guys I've never met. But I woke up next to you. And I'm glad." She wasn't really sure what she was saying anymore, her voice was kind of running off on it's own. "I don't know if you know this, Snoozles, but I've always kind of liked you. Always, you big, stupid lug. You were just too busy chasing after every other girl on the planet to notice."

"You like me?"

"What are you, deaf? Yes, I like you! You're stupid, ignorant, annoying, loyal, caring, sexy - -"

She didn't get to finish her list, because suddenly his lips were on hers, his hands on her cheeks. It felt so soft, and perfect. When he pulled away, all too soon, she sat there, stunned.

"I just wanted to see if it was as good sober," he explained, as if she cared why he'd done it. Her heart was beating with reckless abandon, her face was so hot you could probably bake bread on it, and she was smiling her pompous smile.

"And?" She asked, grabbing him by the collar and pressing up against him.

"It was better," He answered, and they were lost in another kiss, against the stone wall in the alleyway.

It was at that moment that Toph knew that she was setting herself up for heartbreak, but she really didn't care. All she cared about now was the feel of Sokka's lips against hers, and the way his hands were holding her up against the wall by the waist.

* * *

**_Woohoo! I like this chapter. We finally find out why Suki's gone, and the awkward silence is over, and I know, Taang fans, I know. Just be patient._**

**_Please review, I love reviews! :D_**


	4. Ch 4: Lucky

_**Hey, you! Yeah, you! I have an idea! Why don't you go to my deaviantART page and look at my AtLA fanart? Sure, there's only, like, three, but still...**_

http : / / sereiven dot deviantart dot com / gallery / #Avatar-Fanart

_**Do the spaces thing and such ^**_

* * *

Toph dangled her feet over the edge of the bed. The hotel they were all staying at was nice enough, and the rooms had been free because the town was so grateful to Aang for ending the war. Everyone had their own room, and Toph liked it that way. She wasn't much of a people-person. Plus, it meant that she didn't have to face Katara after making out with her brother, so that was always good.

She sighed at the memory. It had been everything she had imagined it would be. She'd liked him for years, and she'd always been too afraid to tell him. It was perfect, just like her dreams...except that the confession normally came _before_ the sex, but she'll take it as it was.

She flopped backward onto the bed, sighing. They'd had a long conversation in between make out sessions, and had decided it was best to take things slow. After all, he _was_ getting over Suki, and Toph wasn't sure her heart could take another steamy night like that right away. Nope, it'd probably stop beating, and then they'd really have a problem. They'd also decided not to tell the group - - boy, was _that_ decision easy to make.

Toph began to squirm. While the hotel was nice and everything, with the hot springs right downstairs, the rooms were wood, which meant she was uncomfortable and totally blind.

She pounded the bed with her fists in frustration, and decided she'd go take a bath. At least the hot springs had stone floors. She got up off the bed and walked over to where she thought the door was. After a few seconds of stumbling, she managed to get out the door and start down the hall, hand trailing against the wall to guide her. She felt her hand dip into the doorway of the room next to hers - - Katara's room. She almost bypassed it completely, but a noise made her stop.

It was a giggle. She had almost begun to walk away when she heard Katara groan. _What is she doing in there?_

As if in answer, she heard Katara say, in a low, quiet voice: "Oooh, you know I love it when you kiss me that way."

Toph felt her eyebrows go up in shock. Did Sweetness actually have Aang over? For some reason, they had never struck her as the type of couple to, you know, _kanoodle_.

"Then maybe I should do it more?" Wait. That was most definately not Aang's voice. That was...

Toph's jaw dropped and the hand that wasn't on the door flew to her mouth to stifle a gasp. Katara was in there with Zuko!

She pulled the hand away and snorted quietly to herself. Not like it was any of her business. Who was she to judge other people's secret relationships? Besides, it made more sense to her than Aang and Katara did. Katara was always so much more passionate about certain things than the chaste airbending monk was. There was no way they were doing anything but kissing. Maybe.

She scratched her head and began to move on. She didn't feel like eavesdropping on their love-fest. She'd probably be ill.

Her hand dipped into the doorway of Sokka's room, only to feel something that was definately not a door. In fact, it felt more like abs. She felt around a little, eventually putting her hand on top of Sokka's head. Nope, definately not a door.

"Where're you going?" Sokka said as she withdrew her hand.

"To the hot springs for a bath," she replied. "I'm tired of being blind in my room."

Her spine tingled as she felt his fingers brush up and down her arm, and his breath on her ear. She held her own breath, trying to control her blush.

"Oh, really?" He said to her, fingertips lightly touching hers. Her hand went with his, and her body followed into the room.

* * *

She was curled against his body, enjoying his warmth and his arm around her shoulders.

The kissing hadn't lasted long. After a while, Sokka had withdrawn, opting instead for silent cuddling. Which was fine with her, she just liked to be close to him. Her hand was on his stomach, and her head on his chest. She could feel him breathing.

_His breath came in ragged gasps now, as did hers. He was kissing her again, on the forehead, the neck, the lips, the chest. He was like a wild animal, his hair free of it's restraint and entwined with her fingers. She couldn't remember his name. She couldn't remember her own name. The firewhiskey was making them do things, she knew. Oh, Earth, how she loved the things it made them do..._

He was silent, head obviously turned away from her. She didn't move an inch, knowing that the slightest squirm would remind him that she was there, and probably end the cuddling right there. She knew what he was thinking about, and, yeah, it hurt a little, but there wasn't much she could do. She took a deep breath.

"You know, if you're thinking about Suki," she said carefully and quietly. "You can just say it."

She felt the arm around her tense, and then release her. He rolled over on his side, with his back to her, curling up into himself.

"You should go take your bath now," he said quietly. It wasn't a suggestion so much as a 'good night', so she got up, grabbing her headband off the table and beginning to put her hair back up. Then she quietly walked over to the doorway, and exited the room.

As she closed the door behind her, she heard the soft but unmistakable sound of Sokka crying.

* * *

Toph loved the water in the springs. It was perfect for washing things away. The scent of Sokka, the feelings of regret, denial, sympathy. The memories of tonight were washed away as well when she was submerged in the water. The stone floors brought her comfort, telling her everything would be alright, caressing her feet and whispering sweet nothings into her entire being. She would stay underneath until she thought her lungs would burst, surfacing only to gasp for air, and then returning to the water and the stone floors. She was so engrossed in not feeling _anything_, that she didn't notice when the vibrations changed, telling her someone was there.

When she went up to gasp for air this time, she was surprised by a voice.

"Sifu T?" Aang. What was he doing here? She didn't respond right away, and didn't turn to face him. "What're you doing here?"

"I'm taking a bath," she replied. "What's it look like I'm doing?"

"But, why here?"

"What do you mean, 'why here?'?" She snapped. "Why are _you_ in the _girl's_ bath, Twinkles?"

"I'm not." He said bluntly. "You're in the boy's bath."

Oh. Alight then. "Well, I suppose that's a side-effect of being blind. Can't exactly see the signs pointing to each bath."

She felt him sit down on a rock nearby, clearly unfazed but her evident nakedness. Then again, he wasn't really looking. "I guess so," he said. They were quiet, and he made no move to leave the bath.

"So, what brings you down here, Twinkles?" She asked, trying to fill the silence.

"I just needed to think," he said. "I wanted to hang out with Katara tonight, but when I went to see her, she said she was really tired. I guess she was because she was already in her pajamas."

Toph resisted the urge to laugh out loud. She knew exactly what Sweetness was doing tonight. Sparky.

"What about you?" he asked, and she thought about that one.

"I guess I..." She trailed off, suddenly feeling weak in the knees. The hot springs were making her dizzy? She groaned a little, leaning against a rock.

"Sifu T?" Aang's voice was distant, but she could still hear the concern in it. She fell forward into the water, and slipped quietly into unconsciousness.

* * *

When Toph woke up, she wasn't in the water anymore. She was lying on the ground next to the springs, every inch of skin below the neck covered in towels. Her head was swimming, and before she could make out if there was anyone else in the room, she heard his voice.

"Sifu T?" He was turned away from her. "Are you okay?"

She evaluated that for herself. "Yeah, I'm fine. Stupid hot springs." She remembered where she was lying. "How'd I get up here?"

She felt Twinkles's heart rate pick up, and could tell he was blushing.

"I, uh, I had to fish you out," he muttered. Then, a little more vehemently: "I didn't see anything, I swear! I didn't look!"

She could tell he wasn't lying, but it's not like she would've cared if he _had_ seen something. If he saved her from drowning, he could see any part of her and that'd be just fine. Well, maybe not any part. Okay, now _that_ was just dirty.

"Thanks, Twinkles," she said. "I really owe you one."

She sat up, wrapping one of the towels around her body. She could feel the airbender tense up a little, but not turn around. She smirked a little. So the great Avatar was a teenage boy after all. She began to walk away.

"Why were you in Sokka's room?" Aang asked innocently, and she stopped. "I saw you leaving it when I was on my way to Katara's room. You looked kind of sad. And I heard Sokka crying."

She sighed, throwing her wet hair over her shoulder. "He needed an ear. And since that's the only part of me that really works, I listened. He just misses Suki." A knot formed in her chest at those last words, and she fought back the urge to cry. No need to alert Twinkles to the intimacies of her screwed up love life.

"I wish Katara would talk to me," he confessed. "I feel like she's slipping into her own little cocoon, and pretty soon she won't want to come out."

_Yeah, a cocoon named Zuko,_ she thought. "She'll come around, Kid," She said instead. "You're a great guy. She's lucky to have someone so devoted to her."

She could tell he was smiling now. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Sifu T."

He swept past her out the door, leaving her to stand there alone, suddenly jealous of Katara and Aang, and mad at the waterbender at the same time.

"Lucky," she ground out, fists curling. "She's so lucky."

* * *

_**WOW INTENSE**_

_**Right? Super intense. What an intense chapter. Did I mention it was intense? So intense. A little Taangy, for my Taang fans, to keep you all happy ;)**_

_**Anyway, please review! :D**_


	5. Ch 5: A Whole Other Perspective

_**Hey, wuzzup?**_

**_I didn't really realize how totally intense last chapter was (despite the amount of times I used the word "intense" in my Author's Note) until I read it over._**

**_Intense._**

_**I've begun to make a comic version of this story, so you should go read it!**_

http : / / sereiven dot deviantart dot com / gallery / # / d2uk3qa

_**Do the spaces thing and such ^**_

* * *

{Sokka}

Sokka removed his arm from around the girl, and rolled over and away from her. He couldn't face her like this.

"You should go take your bath now," he said quietly, and she took the hint. He listened as she picked up her headband from the bedside table, as she walked out of the room. He couldn't stop himself.

He started to cry.

He wasn't quite sure where the tears had come from, he wasn't all that sad. He was just...depressed. He knew that Toph was a great girl and all, but he couldn't help but think of Suki sometimes when they were kissing or cuddling. By the spirits, how he missed Suki.

He wasn't really sure what had happened that day. All he knew was that one second, she was happy and kissing him, and the next, she was looking really grave and telling him they should see other people.

He'd been stunned at first, and then he had laughed, saying "Good one, Suki!". Then he'd realized she was serious and had been unable to fathom why. Aang had taken her on Appa back to Kyoshi Island, and for a few hours all he could do was stare off into the distance in a shocked silence.

It wasn't until he'd just finished making dinner (smoked salmon) when it had hit him - - Suki had broken up with him.

Then came the waterworks. He'd run to his tent quickly, leaving everyone else behind...

_He was crying, not really sobbing but with tears, into his arms, when suddenly he heard the flap of the tent open. He looked up._

_Toph. She was standing there, one hand on her hip and the other holding two bottles of fire whiskey._

_"You look like you could use a drink," she said, making him laugh a little. Because, you know, she couldn't see. Well, _he_ found it funny, anyhow. He nodded, and then, realizing she couldn't see, mumbled a "yes". She took a seat next to him and handed him a bottle, which he took. He had never had fire whiskey before - - in fact, he'd never really had any kind of alcohol before. But Toph had already uncorked her bottle and taken a healthy gulp, so he figured it was alright._

_It burned and tingled a little on the first gulp. The second was better. By the third gulp, he felt his body relax._

_"Take it slow, Snoozles," Toph snorted at him. "An inexperienced drinker like you might end up doing something he regrets."_

_"Whaddya mean, 'an inexperienced drinker'? I've drunk quite a few drinks in my lifetime!" He lied. He'd be damned if he let a little girl out-drink him._

_"Alcoholic?"_

_"Well...no...but still!"_

_She laughed, a clear, genuine laugh that he hadn't seen in a while. In fact, he hadn't seen much of Toph in general for a long time. He'd probably seen her, like, twice in the past few years, minus the last two weeks she'd been traveling with them. She'd really changed. Like, alot. In...places..._

_He felt himself turning red as his eyes wandered over sixteen-year-old Toph's body. He kept thinking of her as a little girl, when she really wasn't anymore. As in, _really_ wasn't. Whereas at twelve, she had been boxy like a boy, at sixteen, she actually had ample curves, subtle and yet refined with muscle from earthbending._

_He was beginning to have some thoughts._

_He took another swig. Maybe it would get his mind off of her._

Sokka sighed, pushing the memory away and rolling over onto his back. Toph had been there for him, as a friend, and he had taken advantage of her. He felt so dirty, as if he was coated in some kind of pervert-slime. He'd been so freaky the last two days, always wondering if she regretted it, if she hated him for taking her virginity. He'd tried to apologize in the bath that same day, but that hadn't worked out at all. Plus, he felt kind of weird apologizing to her when she was naked.

But today he had grabbed her hand without thinking, and dragged her off. His body had acted without thinking, and now...

Well, now he felt worse for playing on her emotions while he was still hopelessly in love with Suki.

* * *

{Aang}

When Aang entered the bath, he felt something was off. He wasn't alone, that he knew, but he couldn't see anyone. He looked around cautiously, but, finding no-one, gave up and began to undress. He had stripped down to his underwear when he heard a splash and someone gasping for air.

He twirled around so fast he could swear his heels were smoking, only to see a sea of long, black hair floating around a petite body. He felt himself beginning to blush as he realized who it was.

"Sifu T?" he asked, and he saw her twitch. Why was she in the boy's bath? And why had she been under the water for so long? It'd been quite a while since he'd walked in, and as far as he could tell, she hadn't come up since he'd been there. She didn't answer, so he continued. "What're you doing here?"

"I'm taking a bath, what's it look like I'm doing?" She said, irritated.

Okay, he had to ask. "But, why here?"

"What do you mean, 'why here'?" She snapped. "Why are _you_ in the _girl's_ bath, Twinkles?"

Oh, right. She's blind. "I'm not. You're in the boy's bath."

She paused, and he wondered if she was mentally kicking herself or if she was just thinking of ways to hurt him.

"Well, I suppose that's a side-effect of being blind. Can't exactly see the signs pointing to each bath," She said finally, waving a hand in front of her face for emphasis. She sounded a little frustrated, but also a little sad. He sat on a nearby rock, averting his eyes from her nakedness. "I guess so..." He trailed off, rubbing the back of his head. He wasn't sure what to say, but for some reason he felt it would be rude to just leave, so they sat in silence. He didn't think it was a very awkward silence, but Toph seemed to think so because she was the first to break it.

"So, what brings you down here, Twinkles?" She asked, hands unconsciously pulling her hair around her.

Aang thought about the way Katara had shut him out of the room, seeming a little over-energetic when telling him how "dogbat-tired" she was. He'd been hoping to spend some time with her...Oh, well, he'd catch her tomorrow.

"I just needed to think," he finally answered, leaning back on his hands, staring at the arrows on his feet. "I wanted to hang out with Katara tonight, but when I went to see her, she said she was really tired. I guess she was because she was already in her pajamas."

She didn't respond right away, so he decided to turn the question on her.

"What about you?" She angled her head up, and seemed to think about the question.

"I guess I..." she trailed off, and was quiet. He heard her groan, and quickly turned toward her, just in time to see her swoon and fall with a splash into the hot springs.

"Toph!" He shouted, bypassing the 'sifu' formalities. He scrambled from his spot on the rock, splashing into the water. He zoomed over to her, bending her up, up, up, and out of the water, setting her down on the side of the bath while still politely averting his eyes. When she was settled, he airbended a pile of towels over to her quickly, making sure to cover every inch of her below the neck - - again, still averting his eyes. Sure, it was hard to help without seeing, but he didn't want to...you know...it was just wrong.

Finally, when she was covered, he knelt next to her, bringing an ear to her chest while fighting back a blush. Ah. Her heartbeat. Good, she's okay. He straightened a little, and placed his hand on her forehead. She was overheating, it must've been the water. He softly blew on her forehead, a cool, gentle breeze, to lower her temperature. When he was sure she was alright, and would be just fine soon enough, he sat back, turning away from her and wrapping his arms around his legs.

How had the night ended up like this? All he'd wanted to do was spend some time with Katara. But, he supposed it was a good thing he hadn't, or else Toph would be under the water with no one to help her. He sighed. Something was bothering Toph. He knew it, he could just tell. Why else would she be here, in the middle of the night, submerging herself in the water? She must be really upset, because normally she would turn to the earth for comfort, not the water.

Yes, something was definately bothering her. He remembered when he'd seen her earlier that night, when she'd been leaving Sokka's room...She'd looked so upset. Why was she even _in_ Sokka's room? He'd tried to ask Sokka why Toph was in his room, but had heard him crying and thought better of it.

Toph was upset, Sokka was crying, Katara was acting strange, and he hadn't seen Zuko all day. He himself was getting a little depressed. The whole group had had low enthusiasm since the other day. He wasn't sure how much more he could take before he snapped...

He heard an unconscious graon behind him and knew that Toph was awake.

"Sifu T?" He said quietly, not turning around. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Stupid hot springs..." She grumbled. "How'd I get up here?"

He blushed furiously, but tried not to show it. "I, uh, I had to fish you out..." He muttered, and then remembered her...naked...ness... "I didn't see anything, I swear! I didn't look!"

She didn't answer, but he could tell she believed him, so he relaxed. She was probably smiling right now, making fun of him in her mind. He _was_ pretty easy to poke fun at...

"Thanks, Twinkles," she said. "I really owe you one."

He heard her sitting up, and tensed, fighting his hormones and the urge to turn around. He imagined her laughing at him, knowing exactly the way his heart was racing. Then, he heard her start to walk away. He didn't want her to go, he wanted to talk to her. What could he talk about? What...?

"Why were you in Sokka's room?" he asked without thinking. She stopped. Well, that's a start. He continued. "I saw you leaving it when I was on my way to Katara's room. You looked kind of sad. And I heard Sokka crying."

He heard her sigh, and heard the slap of wet hair as she tossed the onyx tresses over her shoulder. "He needed an ear," she explained. "And since that's the only part of me that really works, I listened. He just misses Suki." She sounded a little melancholy at the thought, and Aang wondered what was really up with her.

"I wish Katara would talk to me," he confessed. "I feel like she's slipping into her own little cocoon, and pretty soon she won't want to come out."

Toph didn't answer for a second, and he snuck a glance at her. She stood there, the towel wrapped around her frame like a dress, scratching her head as if thinking about the right answer.

"She'll come around, Kid," She said finally. "You're a great guy. She's lucky to have someone so devoted to her."

Aang smiled, looking down at the arrows on his feet again. Toph was right. She was always right. Well, maybe not always, but mostly. He should talk to her more often.

"Yeah, you're right." He said, and he knew his smile was evident in his voice. "Thanks, Sifu T."

On toes light as air, he swept past the earthbender, and out the door. He wanted to be alone now, and he knew she'd understand. He was going to tell Katara tomorrow, tell her exactly how devoted he was. He was going to say he loved her a million times.

He was going to let her know, and maybe, just maybe, she'd return the favor.

* * *

_**So, no 'new' events, really. All the same stuff as last chapter, but from different perspectives. Poor Aang, he seems to be setting himself up for heartbreak, just like Toph.**_

**_My friend Sabina: Isn't Kyoshi Island a matriarchy? They can't force her into marriage._**

**_Me: Well, maybe they're marrying her into a patriarchy to end a feud...or...something..._**

**_Sabina: I guess that makes sense._**

**_*Silence*_**

**_Me: ...And then it would be a parental...archy?"_**

**_Sabina: *slaps forehead like Sokka* Ooooooh, Grace, Graaaace, Graaace, Grace..._**

_**Please review!**_


	6. Ch 6: In Sickness and In Angst

_**Thanks for all the reviews last chapter! And thanks to anyone who visited my deviantART! It means alot when you guys tell me you like my drawing :D**_

**_Just for that, here's and extra-long chapter for you - - over three thousand words!_**

* * *

"Ah-CHOO!"

"Toph, are you okay?" Katara asked, concerned. "You've been sneezing like that ever since we got on Appa."

"Yeah, I'm fine, Sweetness. It's what I get for falling asleep with the window open while my hair was still wet." She rested her head on her arm, which was pretty much attached to Appa's saddle. She hated being sick, it made her feel weak. Plus, it plugged up her nose and ears, leaving her with only two of the five senses, one of which was virtually useless in the air. Which meant it was pretty easy to surprise her, and she hated surprises even worse than she hated being sick.

She sneezed loudly again, and then dropped her head back down with a groan. Someone - - Sparky - - handed her a handkerchief and she mumbled a thanks as she blew her nose. She felt a hand brush her shoulder - - Sokka's way of discreetly comforting her. She smiled, knowing that, in moments like this, he was hers.

Aang was being a little antsy. She could tell, even if she couldn't feel any vibrations in the air, because he'd been unusually quiet, and then freakishly chatty, on and off all day.

"Hey, Katara," he was saying now. "I wanted to talk to you about somethi - - "

"Not now, Aang, I'm trying to figure out this map," Katara said in a bored voice. Aang mumbled a dejected "oh, okay" and was quiet again.

Toph sneezed again, with a force that made her hit her head on the saddle, which, in turn, made her yelp in pain. Again, Sokka's comforting hand was tugging at her tunic, letting her know he cared. But it was Twinkles who actually took action.

"Are you okay, Sifu T?" he asked, zooming up and then plopping down between her and Sokka (to which Sokka made a quiet, yet disgruntled, noise) and placing a hand on her forehead. "You're kind of heating up. We should get you some tea when we land in Omashu."

"I'm fine, Twinkles. I wish everyone would stop worrying about me, I can take care of myself." She pushed Aang's hand away, and the monk leaned back. It didn't seem like he was going to move any time soon, but then Sokka cleared his throat.

"Hey," Sokka said loudly, in his sarcasm/pointing-out-the-obvious voice. "Who is steering Appa?"

"Oh!" With a rush of air, Aang was gone from her side, and she felt Sokka scoot towards her.

"Here, Toph, eat this," The warrior said in a concerned and sweet voice, taking her hand and gently pressing something into it. "It's a cough and sneeze suppressant. I picked it up in Tairo this morning when I noticed you looked sick."

She hoped they would land in Omashu soon.

Because Sokka was getting a huge kiss as soon as they were alone.

* * *

As soon as they touched ground, Toph was kissing it. She hated flying, and while it may be an _efficient_ way to travel, it was certainly not exactly all that _enjoyable. _She was just about to start making earth angels when she felt a light hand - - Aang's - - pulling her up by the wrist.

"I know you miss the ground, Toph, but we gotta go see King Bumi! Er, Talk to him, I mean." He let go of her hand, and she could tell he was embarassed. For what reason, she couldn't say.

"You go ahead, Twinkles. I've got some Earthbending I'd like to get back to." She kicked back one leg, making a stone chair shoot up out of the ground. She relaxed in it, sighing. "Oh, yeah, that's the stuff."

"But..." Aang had a weird tone of voice, and it was confusing her. Why was he pressing this?

"Don't worry about her, Aang, I'll stay behind, too." Sokka said, and she could tell from the vibrations that he was making stupid hand gestures again.

Aang seemed a little reluctant, but apparently nodded and began to walk away with Katara and Zuko. Toph felt sorry for him. You could cut the sexual tension in that trio with a knife, even if Aang was oblivious to it. He'd probably been hoping that she'd come along and occupy Zuko's attention so he could get a chance to talk to Katara. And, as much as she felt bad for the monk, the city was still mostly metal, and although she may be able to metal-bend, she didn't like it enough to choose it over earth. She missed the earth (not to mention Sokka's lips) far too much to have gone with them.

As soon as they were far enough gone for the vibrations to stop (in other words, out of 'sight'), she felt Sokka turn to her. He placed his hands on either side of her make-shift chair, and leaned in so that their faces were close enough to kiss.

"So," he began. "I never got a 'thank you' for that suppressant."

* * *

Somehow, they'd ended up in Appa's saddle, spread out over the group's things. She hated being off the ground, but it was alright because _he_ was all she needed to feel.

His kisses were surprisingly firey for someone from the deep south. Not that she'd ever kissed anyone else, and thus had nobody to compare it to, but it wasn't passive in any way, shape, or form. Every kiss convinced her more and more that he would fall for her, even though the voice of reason inside her head kept telling her not to get her hopes up.

She remembered these kisses, memories surprisingly clear for the amount of alcohol they'd both had in their systems. These kisses were needy, fierce, wanting. Her hands were in his hair, short as it was on the sides, wishing she could remove that ponytail. But they both knew the group would be back any second, and a single hair out of place, literally or figuratively, could give them away.

"Toph," Sokka muttered against her neck. "You're hot."

She laughed a little. "Thanks, Snoozles, I wish I could tell if you were lying."

"No," he said, pulling away. "Toph, You're _really_ hot. You're burning up!" He pressed his lips against her forehead, and then quickly retracted with a curse. "That's it."

He got up, much to her annoyance, and she heard him walking away. "What are you doing?" She complained, crawling in the direction he'd left.

"We're going to land Appa in the courtyard at King Bumi's palace. You need to see a healer. Appa, Yip Yip." He was being cold again, and she hated it. Ever since last night, he'd been going from seductive and loving to cold and unfeeling on and off. It pissed her off.

"I don't need you to take care of me!" She shouted at him, and then Appa barreled into the air, sending her tumbling back into the saddle. "If I think I need a healer, I'll find one! You don't need to do these things _for_ me!" She clamped onto one of the handholds, mad at Sokka, mad at the air, but mostly mad at herself for being sick in the first place. "Seriously, Sokka, stop it!"

He was ignoring her, and for a long time the only sound was the wind buffeting against her ears as Appa flew. She wanted to argue some more, but her head was swimming, and the fever was beginning to affect her. She groaned, holding to the saddle tighter.

The next thing she knew, the wind had slowed, and she heard Sokka explaining something to someone. She heard snippets of conversation, and tried blearily to string them together.

"...burning up...eeds to see...worried about...help..." Sokka seemed to be saying, though the words meant nothing to her.

"...ou sure?" She heard someone. Probably Katara.

She felt a gust of wind next to her, and heard Twinkles loud and clear.

"Toph, are you alright?" He asked, speaking slowly in a soothing voice. When she didn't answer, he moved closer, pressing a cold hand to her forehead. He removed it, and it was replaced by a soft breeze - - the airbender was blowing on her to lower her fever.

"I'm...fine..." She finally said, trying to push him away. As a response, he grabbed her fingers gently and held onto them, forcing her hands back and continuing to blow on her while Katara and Sokka conversed in gibberish behind him. She couldn't understand them, but they were definitely talking about her - - Katara had her motherly voice on. She involuntarily tightened her grip on Aang's cool fingers as her thoughts began to swirl again.

"Aang, let me see her," she heard Katara say, and the blowing stopped, much to her dismay. He released her fingers and moved away, letting the waterbender get in close to Toph and examine her. Another cool hand was pressed upon her brow, only this time it was surrounded in water and seemed to tingle a little bit. She sighed as her fever dropped rapidly, and her surroundings became clearer.

First of all, she wasn't on Appa anymore. She was lying on a stone bench in the courtyard of Bumi's palace, and she could feel the people around her - - Sokka, Aang, Katara, Zuko, Bumi, and two other people whose vibrations she didn't recognize. She guessed they were healers, because they stepped forward to replace Katara after a few minutes.

Second, Sokka was talking. Not to anyone in particular, just sort of motor-mouthing like he does when he gets nervous. Something about how Toph was lucky he happened to check her temperature because it's not like he'd been anywhere near her, let alone touching her, after all. She felt herself smile a little at it. At least it showed he cared enough to get nervous.

"Toph, are you alright?" Aang repeated, voice laced with concern, as the healers began to work on her. She didn't like making him worry like that - - he had enough to worry about, plus some things he _should_ be worried about that he didn't even know about, and thus didn't know to be worried about...Okay, now she was just confusing herself.

"I'm good, Twinkles, thanks for asking," she said reassuringly, and she felt the monk relax. It wasn't a lie - - the healers were really doing the trick, as much as she hated to admit it, and she was feeling a little better.

She felt Sokka sit down a few feet away from her. He took her hand gently, whispering "You're going to be fine. These are King Bumi's personal healers."

She squeezed his hand, and nobody seemed to notice how intimate the moment actually was.

She could stay like this forever.

* * *

Toph played with her meteorite bracelet, bending it into different shapes, amusing herself. She was wearing he fire nation outfit, mostly because it was comfortable and partially because Katara had gushed about how she'd "really filled it out in the past years" and looked "like a fantastic earthbending model". She was sitting in a plush bed, hair down and headband abandoned, in one of King Bumi's guest rooms at the palace. The room was spacious but cozy, with stone walls and floors. Okay, so maybe it wasn't cozy to anyone else, but Toph loved it - - she could 'see' in here, and Bumi knew it. That's why he'd given this one to her, even though it was a little far away from the other rooms that her friends were staying in. She hadn't seen much of anyone the past few days they'd been at Bumi's palace, save for Sokka who had come by nearly every night, but even he was gone by morning. But, it didn't matter. She liked the solitude - - it gave her a chance to think.

First order of business in her head - - Sokka.

She wanted him so bad, so much more than any other guy in the world. He had been her first crush, her first kiss, her first...well, you know. He'd been her first everything, including her first love. And now that the love had been returned, in a way, it was so...odd. It was strange and crazy, passionate yet cold, and flightier than a chickenhawk. She knew it was wrong, so wrong, for her to be doing this when Suki was on her island, preparing for a wedding she didn't want to a man she didn't know. It was immoral and insane, but she couldn't stop.

She knew she should just tell him. A little voice inside her mind told her to tell him, to smack him upside the head and order him to go save Suki. She had to. She needed to. But a bigger, stronger voice, powered by her unstable teenage emotions and hormones, was squashing the little voice, dominating her mind. She sighed.

Conflicted.

That's how she felt. She couldn't choose between Sokka's love for Suki and her own love for the swordsman. It should be an easy choice, but it wasn't. And she hated herself for it.

Weak.

She was weak. Too weak to quit him, to weak to push him away, too weak to stop kissing him, to weak to tell him the one thing that could, possibly, make him happy. The one thing that could give him and Suki a chance, a chance they deserved.

Stupid.

Stupid, stupid, stupid girl. Here she was, the world's greatest earthbender, and only known metalbender, and yet she was so stupid and weak that she couldn't stop herself from falling on her knees for a boy.

Rejected.

No, he never said it. He never said he didn't love her, but he also never said he did. It was unspoken. She was just a consolation prize, a way for him to take his mind off things. No, he never said anything. At least, not out loud. But pushing her away in the hotel, not talking to her for hours at a time, shying away from her kisses now and again - - it was rejection, plain and simple, and it hurt.

Earth, she was pathetic. This boy, this boy she'd been friends with for ages, had her heart in his hands. She would follow him anywhere, anywhere at all, without a second thought. She was hypnotized by his kisses, submissive to him in a way that she had never been to anyone, ever, not even her parents. Nobody had as much control over her as he did, as much impact on her. But he was always distant, whenever they weren't in the middle of kissing. He was always far away, thinking about her, that Kyoshi warrior, completely unaware that all he had to do was say the word, and he could have her in his arms. He was Suki's guy, and she knew it.

She felt like a harlot...

"Sifu T? Are you okay? What happened?" She heard Aang cry out, concerned. She blinked out of her daze, and suddenly realized the monk was in her room. She felt the bed sag as he sat in front of her, gripping her shoulders with his hands. She felt something wet on her face, and raised a hand to touch it - - tears. She was crying. The freaking blind bandit was actually crying.

"What happened?" the airbender asked again gently, handing her a handkerchief. She took it, but didn't use it, choosing instead to let them fall.

"Nothing," she lied. "I'm just...missing Ba Sing Se a little..."

"You don't have to lie," he said. "I know this is about Sokka."

She twitched a little, but tried to play it off, finally reaching up to brush her tears away. "Wha-what do you mean?"

"Well, when I came in, you were bending your meteorite bracelet into a replica of Sokka's face. It was actually pretty good, seeing as you've never actually seen it."

The accused meteorite returned to bracelet form on her wrist, and she turned away and out of his grip, flopping facedown into the soft pillows and springy mattress. "Whatever. That doesn't prove anything."

"You're right, it doesn't." And he dropped the subject, sensing that she didn't want to talk about it. She drew her legs up into a fetal position, and they sat in silence for a minute, until his presence finally registered in her mind.

"What're you doing here, TwinkleToes?" She asked, her voice slightly muffled by the silken pillowcase. She heard him sigh and fall onto the bed next to her, taking a pillow under his chin. When he spoke, his voice was just a little ways away from her face.

"It's Katara," he started, shifting uncomfortably. Here we go. "I keep trying to talk to her, to let her know how I feel, but there always seems to be something more important. She's reading a map, a scroll, a menu, she's practicing healing, she wants to be alone, she's off who-knows-where..." he trailed off, heaving another sigh. "It's like she doesn't have time for me at all lately."

Toph felt a pang of guilt - - she'd walked these halls many times during the day, passing by seemingly unoccupied guest rooms that, in reality, held secret meetings between the crowned prince and the waterbender. She was already beating herself up about not telling Sokka about his girl, and here she was, withholding similar information from Aang. Why was she always the one to know all the secrets? Why did everyone always feel that the blind girl was the least likely to squeal?

She thought carefully about her response, and sighed. "It's not like I would know anything about love," she said, making sure her face was buried into the pillow so he couldn't see the pain in her blind eyes. "Why do you keep coming to me?"

Twinkles rolled over, copying her fetal position. "Well, it's not like there's many others to talk to. I obviously can't talk to Katara, and Zuko is never around. And Sokka..." Toph's heart skipped a beat at the mention of his name. "Well, he's been acting super-strange since Suki left, and I figured I didn't want to bother him about it. He's got his own love issues to work out."

"No kidding," she snorted into the pillow before she could stop herself. Luckily, Aang didn't seem to notice. He didn't say anything else, and she reached out to pat him on the head - - his furry head.

"Hey," she said accusingly, and she could feel him look up at her. "When did you grow your hair back?"

"Huh? Oh, that. I, uh, got tired of shaving it a few months ago. It's not like the monks are complaining," he explained as she patted around, feeling his soft, fuzzy hair. "I keep it short, but really, I'm just lazy. I guess you haven't touched my head in a long time, huh?"

"Well, I certainly don't make a habit of it," she said, and he laughed. But when he spoke again, he sounded a little hurt.

"What, do you not like it?" He asked. Her hand was still resting in his hair, and she felt no urge to remove it.

"No, it's fine," she said. "I'm just used to you being the 'bald monk' in my mind. Now you're just the 'monk'."

"You think about me as the 'bald monk'?" He said, his voice teasing. "Do you call _anyone_ by their real name in that noggin of yours?"

"Sokka," she said suddenly, without thinking. "And Suki," she added, trying to cover up that Sokka was special to her. "Sometimes Zuko. And sometimes Katara."

"So everyone except me? Well, aren't I special." he said as she retracted her hand from his hair. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Don't be getting any ideas, Twinkles. I think of you as 'Aang' sometimes." She angled her face down and muttered: "You aren't all that special."

They were quiet again for a moment, and then she heard him sigh. "Sifu T, why can't Katara be as easy for me to understand and talk to as you are?"

_You don't understand me, _she thought_. You just don't know the whole story. And you really, really don't want to._

* * *

**_Wow, that was a long one! Aaah! But I only stopped it because it was getting so long. I still have more ideas! Aah! I'm feleing very creative with my writing today._**

**_Please review! I like to read reviews!_**


	7. Ch 7: Breakable

_**Thanks for all your reviews! If you haven't already, you should check out my comic version of this (It's still on chapter two, but oh, well. I draw slower than I write. *shrugs*)**_

http : / / sereiven dot deviantart dot com / gallery / # / d2uk3qa

_**Do the spaces thing and such ^**_

* * *

Toph and Aang talked for a long time that afternoon. She was better at listening to problems than sharing them. She didn't want Twinkles to know about her and Sokka, so she kept her mouth shut most of the time. Aang told her about everything from his troubles with Katara, to the progress of rebuilding the four nations, to his insecurities about needing to continue the airbenders singlehandedly.

"It's not that I don't think I can do it," he said with a sigh. He was lying on his side, facing her, with his head resting on one hand. "Air nomads are startlingly fertile, and thus-"

"Woah, woah, woah," Toph said, putting a hand up to stop him. "Too much info, Twinkles. I don't need an Air Nomad version of Sex 101."

She felt him blushing. "R-right. Of course." He continued where he left off. "It's not that I don't think I can do it, it's just that I don't know if Katara is ready for it."

"You're afraid she just figured out what she signed up for, and is panicking?" Toph finished for him, and felt him nod. "Well, if that's the way she is, then she's not worth holding onto. You literally _need_ a girl who's willing to rekindle your race with you. It's an absolutely essential quality, Twinkles."

"I know, I know. I just think that maybe I'm wrong, and that's not it at all. Or, if it is, that maybe she'll get over it soon enough. You know?"

Toph slammed a fist into her headboard, causing Aang to jump a little. "_Maybe_ isn't good enough. You need to know for sure that she's willing to do it, so you don't waste your time. If she won't do it, you _need_ to move on and find someone new. Have you tried asking her if that's it, Twinkles? Maybe you _are _wrong. I would think that Katara, of all people, would be _jumping _at the chance to have lots of kids."

"She is the motherly type..." Aang said, sounding a little optimistic. "You're right, that's probably not it." She heard a soft '_pof!'_as he fell back onto the pillow. She put her head back on her pillow, too, enjoying the small silence, giving her ears a break. It seemed like they'd been talking for hours, but she hadn't even realized it until now. Whereas, when Sokka talked, she tended to count the seconds and tune him out.

A small sigh from the airbender caught her attention again. "What is it now?"

"What should I do?" He asked. "I can't get her alone for a second to talk to her. Whenever I ask, she just - - "

"Stop."

"What?"

"Talking."

"What? Why?"

"Right there. When you said 'whenever you ask'."

"What about it?"

"That's the problem."

"I don't follow."

Toph sighed. Of course he didn't get it. He didn't know how Katara was outside of his love-goggles. How could he know she needed a take-charge guy (her mind flitted to Zuko, but she held that thought back when she explained).

"Katara doesn't need to be_ asked_, she needs to be _told. _She'll keep responding the same way if you ask her like normal. That's why you have to sound urgent. _Order_ her to talk with you alone."

He was quiet for a minute, but then a small "Ohhhhhhh..." escaped his lips. "That makes sense, I suppose."

"Let's talk about something else, okay?" She suggested. The subject of Katara was starting to wear thin on her nerves, as well as her conscience. The more she heard about Katara, the more she wanted to scream at him what she was doing with Zuko.

"Okay," Aang agreed, much to her relief. "Let's talk about you."

Uh-oh.

Suddenly she was pining for that Katara conversation. "Me? What about me?"

"Tell me what's been bothering you. And don't try and say nothing," he said, stopping her protest short. "Because I know you, and somethings up. That, and the crying was a huge tip-off."

She 'stared' in his general direction, blind eyes wide and mouth agape. What should she say? How could she say it? Where would she start? Somehow, she didn't think that saying 'Oh, I slept with Sokka and now we're secretly dating even though he's being a huge jerkwad now and then which is understandable because Suki left and is marrying another guy, which he doesn't know about, and now I'm just feeling lost' would invoke a positive reaction from the monk.

"There's nothing to say," she said finally, rolling over so that her back was facing him.

Wrong move.

Aang sat up quickly, and when he spoke, there was a hint of anger in his voice. "I just opened up to you for hours," he said. "I told you my feelings, my biggest fears, my weaknesses." Great, now she was beginning to feel bad. "I put my heart on my sleeve, and you won't even tell me what's bothering you?" His voice was rising, which was very out of character for him. She could hear all the stress that she had just worked out of him flowing back in, taking over his speech. "I thought I understood you, _Toph._" He put emphasis on her name, showing that he didn't think she deserved to be called 'Sifu' anymore.

That hurt.

He started to talk again but she cut him off.

"You think it's easy?" She said quietly, and he was silent. She rose her voice, not caring that it began to crack as she spoke. "You think it's easy, to keep all my feelings and thoughts bottled up inside? Don't you think I _want_ to tell you everything? Don't you think I'm tired of being the one who has to keep everyone else's secrets?"

She could tell he was regretting his words as she sat up and faced him.

"Get out," she said. He didn't move.

"What?" He asked. If she could see, his eyes would be pleading.

"I said, _get out_. There's the door. Go. Don't come back. I don't want to talk to you anymore." She kept her voice steady as she said this, pointing her index finger at the door.

He seemed hesitant, but probably remembered they were in a stone room because he slowly and reluctantly got up off the bed. He began to shuffle away, and she could feel him glancing back at her. He stopped at the door, and turned back to her.

"Sifu T, I - - "

"GET OUT!" She shouted, punching the wall next to her, which sent a stone wall flying up between them. She heard him open the door and - -

"Ouch, hey, watch where you're - - Oh, hey, Aang." Sokka. "What're you doing here?"

She heard Aang mumble something, and hated herself for the tears she heard in his voice. Then he ran down the hall.

Things were quiet until Sokka poked his head around the stone wall.

"Um, Toph? Are you - - "

Before he could finish, she turned and fell into her pillows, crying. He was with her in a flash, holding her tight while she cried on his shoulder. He didn't ask what happened, and he didn't ask why. He just held her close and told her it would be okay.

Suki crossed her mind in that moment, and she began to cry even harder.

* * *

{Aang}

_Stupid, stupid, stupid,_ he thought as Toph was speaking. She was on the verge of tears, though he didn't think she knew it. Her voice was cracking, she was so angry at him. Finally, she turned and faced him.

But, before he could say anything, she looked up at where she thought his face was and said: "Get out."

He didn't move. He sat there, dumbfounded. He'd never heard Toph so angry before, and that was saying something. She was so angry, she was calm. She was past fury. Now she just wanted him gone. _Stupid, stupid, stupid, _he thought again.

"What?" He asked intelligently, and winced at the reaction on her face.

"I said, _get out_." There was venom in her words. "There's the door. Go. Don't come back. I don't want to talk to you anymore."

His heart sank. He knew that "anymore" in this context meant "ever again". He didn't want to leave her like this, he wanted to fix it. But a glance around the room reminded him that she was in her element, and she could seriously injure him if he stayed.

He reluctantly got off the bed, managing to hide his own tears as he walked away. He stopped at the door, turning to look at her one last time. He sat on the edge of the bed, angled away from him. He wanted to work it out...

"Sifu T, I - -"

"GET OUT!" A stone wall shot up from the ground between them, and he knew there was no salvaging this conversation. _Good job, Twinkletoes_, he said to himself hatefully. _You just lost the last person you could talk to_.

He turned and opened the door, eyes already glistening with tears, and ran immediately into Sokka.

"Ouch! Hey, watch where you're - - Oh, hey Aang. What're you doing here?" There was a weird expression on his face, kind of like curiousity mixed with...jealousy? It didn't matter, he couldn't see through the tears.

He looked up at Sokka's now-shocked face. "I made her cry," he managed to choke out. "She was my friend, and I made her cry." He gripped Sokka's shirt. "Fix her, Sokka. If she feels even a little bit better, then maybe I will, too."

And then he turned and ran down the hall, not stopping to try and find Katara or Bumi or Zuko, just straight to his room. He fell on the bed, tears almost gone but guilt growing ever larger by the second.

"Oh, Spirits...What have I done?" He moaned into his pillow. "I wish I could use Avatar experience to fix this..."

* * *

{Sokka}

He missed Toph. It was weird, yes, seeing as he'd seen her at lunch. But it was more like he missed the real Toph, the Toph she could be with him behind closed doors. Or, in some cases, wide open fields in the saddle of a sky bison. But that was beside the point, the point being that he missed Toph.

Which was why he was standing in front of her door, reaching for the handle - -

"Ouch!" Somebody had opened the door first, and come running out and right into him. "Hey, watch where you're - - Oh, hey Aang." The airbender didn't make eye contact or even answer, just stood there. "What're you doing here?" It was a legitimate question. He wondered what Aang and Toph had been doing, and felt a pang of jealousy. Their relationship may be a secret, but that didn't give people the right to - -

He stopped that train of thought in its tracks when Aang looked up at him. Tears were brimming in the kid's eyes, and he looked like he was ready to burst any second.

"I made her cry," he said quietly, and Sokka suddenly understood what was going on, to a point. "She was my friend, and I made her cry," he continued. Sokka noted that he said "_Was_ my friend". Not good.

Suddenly he was latched onto Sokka's shirt, his big, gray eyes pleading with him. "Fix her, Sokka. If she feels even a little bit better, then maybe I will, too."

As quick as a flash, the grip on his shirt was released, and Aang was running down the hall at top speed. Sokka stared after him for a moment, and then turned to walk into Toph's room.

The first thing he noticed was the giant stone wall, which was new. He assumed it was Toph's doing. He peeked around it, and saw Toph sitting on the edge of the bed, unmoving.

"Um, Toph?" He started, taking a tentative step towards her. "Are you - - "

She suddenly flew back into the bed, burying her face in her pillows. He could hear the choked sobs and was there in two leaps. He picked her up off the pillows and pulled her into an embrace, which she readily accepted.

His mind was swimming. What was this about? What had Aang done? He was beginning to get angry at the kid, even though he knew it wasn't fair to judge without the whole story. But he didn't ask, because he knew it would make things worse. The last thing she wanted to do was repeat the incident.

So, he held her close, fingers twirling her hair, and whispered to her that it'd be alright, just like he'd done that night. But for some reason, it just made her cry harder, so he opted for silence. He sat there, one strong arm around her waist, and the other hopelessly lost in her long ebony hair.

It was a bit overwhelming. He'd never actually seen Toph _cry_, not that he could remember. The sheer fact that tears were coming from _her_ eyes made _him_ upset.

The tears slowed after a while, Until finally there was silence. Sokka settled back on the pillows, getting comfortable. He wasn't going to leave her tonight. They'd already missed dinner, and there as no reason to go all the way back to his room when there was a bed here. He was on the verge of falling asleep, his eyes drooping, muscles relaxed, when he felt Toph stir in his arms.

"Toph?" He asked, sounding a little hurt as she moved out of his grip. "What's wrong?"

She didn't answer, just rolled over, turning her back to him. He rolled with her, putting his arm around her waist and curling his body around his. She didn't pull away, but didn't snuggle up to him, either. They lay like that, his head just above hers, legs entwined. He wanted to ask again, but he knew it would make things worse. So he simply kissed her on the neck, and whispered:

"I'm here."

* * *

When she woke in the morning, she was surprised to find that she wasn't the only one in her bed. There was a strong arm around her waist, and she could feel warm breathing on her neck. She smiled. Sokka. For once, he had stayed until morning, and it had been the one time they hadn't actually done anything.

She began to get up, but heard Sokka protest sleepily and tighten his grip on her. So she turned to face him instead. He made a contented sigh in his sleep, and she felt his long hair tickling her face, free of its normal restrictions. She twirled a finger around some of his hair, listening to his lulling heartbeat.

"Suki..." He muttered in his sleep, with another sigh. She froze. Of course he was dreaming about Suki. Why wouldn't he? "Suki, Toph is sad..." His words were mumbled, but she caught them. So he as dreaming about talking to Suki about her...wait, what?

He muttered Suki's name again, but she'd heard enough. She pushed him away, ignoring his protests and waking him up in the process.

"Wha...Why are you..."

"You should go back to your room before the others wake up," she said, sitting up on the edge of the bed. She could feel his sleepy, confused gaze on her back. "You don't want them to see you leave. They might get the wrong idea."

At first he seemed like he was going to argue, but thought better of it and did what he was told. As the door swung closed behind him, it reminded her of the way Twinkles had left the night before...

The fight with Aang flashed through her mind, and she groaned, putting her head in her hands. Why did she always do these things to herself? Whenever someone got close, she pushed them away, literally building walls between them.

She absentmindedly picked a brush off the bedside table and began to brush out her long hair. She didn't really care what the end result looked like because she was blind, but the movements were soothing. They reminded her of her favorite nanny from her childhood, the one that knew her best, better than her own mother. Shai was her name, Nanny Shai. And Toph had loved her. She had been the only one inside her household that had known of her earthbending talents.

_"Toph, I want you to always remember that, while you may _feel_ like you are one with the Earth, you are not made of stone." She had said once, while brushing her hair out. "You are breakable."_

_"I don't want to be breakable," she had replied with a huff. Shai stopped brushing, and Toph could feel the woman's strong stare._

_"But that is what makes you human," She said sternly. "And since you are human, there is no escaping it."_

At the time, the words had seemed harsh, as if Shai was telling her she was going to break any day now. But, looking back now, Toph knew that they were words of encouragement.

Every human is breakable. Every human has problems. She couldn't be afraid of breaking.

* * *

_**Okay, so...Set-up much? I'm just trying to set up for a real Taang moment. God, this chapter's awful.**_

_**Please review!**_


	8. Ch 8: Girl Talk?

_**Whew, Let's take a break! LET'S START OFF WITH SOME ZUTARA THIS CHAPTER WOOOOOOOOOO!**_

* * *

She had never meant for it to happen.

Well, maybe she had, deep down. Alright, maybe deep, deep, DEEP down.

But whether or not she had meant to, it had happened.

* * *

She was visiting in the fire nation, two and a half years after the war, serving as a healer in the memorial hospitals that Fire Lord Iroh was constructing. Her job was to get things started, to teach the arts to nurses and doctors, and to keep them in line. Some waterbenders were still reluctant to help heal the very soldiers that had almost destroyed the world. Katara understood that, but she kept telling them: "People are people. Wounds are wounds."

How she had ended up in Zuko's room, on Zuko's lap, kissing him as if her life depended on it, she didn't know.

But she liked it.

She hadn't been kissed like this since - - well, since ever. Aang was not the passionate type, really. He would give her cute little nose kisses, or cheek kisses, or short kisses on the lips. They were nice, sweet, chaste kisses.

But it was nothing like the steamy kisses she was receiving from the crowned prince. These were lengthy kisses, only breaking apart when air became an absolute neccessity. They spoke sometimes, but not many words were exchanged before they were kissing again.

Passionate. That was the word. They'd been talking about something...she couldn't even remember. She was in the moment, this moment. As far as she was concerned, it was the only moment that had ever existed. She was pretty sure they had been arguing about something. It didn't matter what, because whatever it was had been dropped the moment they touched lips.

And that was how it all started.

* * *

Katara's skin tingled as he kissed her neck, a shiver that lingered even after his lips were gone from the spot. She bit her lip to hold back a moan - - they couldn't risk being caught.

Her hands entangled themselves in his onyx hair as their lips met breathlessly. They would have to stop soon, before someone came looking for them. The guest room they were in was on the unnoccupied side of the palace, far away from everyone except for Toph, and even she wasn't inside in the middle of the day.

When Zuko pulled away, they both sighed. He rolled over, off of her, and lay on his side, kissing her shoulder and playing with her hair.

"It's almost lunchtime," he said against her skin.

"Not hungry," she replied, ignoring the protest her stomach made. It was quiet as the prince sat up, facing away from her.

"We can't keep doing this," he said. It wasn't a suggestion, it was a fact, one they went over every time they met like this. "You have Aang."

"And you have Mai," she countered, sitting up as well. "Isn't it absolutely essential that you marry a noble, Zuko?"

"Isn't it absolutely essential that you help the avatar rebuild his race?" He said, turning to her and raising the eyebrow he had.

_Touche_, she thought. She looked away from him. "I know," she said bitterly. "And it's not that I don't want to, or that I think I can't..."

"Forget I mentioned it," he said, taking her hand and pulling her into a sweet, lengthy kiss. She nodded, her brown locks bouncing still, even after being pressed against a pillow for the better part of an hour. She embraced the man, and he wrapped his arms around her in return.

"What are we going to do?" She muttered into his shirt. He didn't answer, just held her tighter, and things were quiet...

_**BAM!**_

The door flew open, and they jumped apart in shock as they saw Toph standing there, foot still raised from kicking the door in.

"Oops," she said sarcastically, putting the foot down. "This isn't _my_ room. Oh, well, as long as I'm here - - " She turned towards them. "Hey, Sparky, mind if I borrow Sweetness for a bit? Great, thanks."

Katara blinked as Toph stalked over to the bed and grabbed her by the wrist. She began to jabber mindlessly, a mix of excuses and confusion, but Toph stopped her. "Relax, Sweetness, I'm not going to bother. Love is far too complicated a subject for _me_ to delve into."

And with that, Katara was effectively dragged out of the room and into Toph's down the hall.

When they got in the room, Toph closed the door, and then a stone wall shot up in front of it.

"Toph, what're you - - "

"I hate eavesdroppers," she explained with a shrug, gently taking her shoulder and leading her to sit on the bed. She sat down next to her, and when they were comfortable, Katara tried again:

"Toph, I can explain - - "

"Don't worry, I won't tell Twinkles about you and Sparky. I won't tell anyone. Since, apparently, I am the world's secret-keeper anyway."

"Toph, I don't under - - "

"You will, hold on." Toph said impatiently, waving a hand to emphasize it. Katara suddenly noticed her hair was flowing free around her shoulders, which was unusual for the continued: "Alright, so listen up, because i'm only going to say this once: I need you."

"You what?"

"Didn't I just say I was only going to say it once?"

"No, I heard you, I just don't follow."

"Must be a couple thing."

"What?"

"Not following. It must be a couple thing."

"I don't - - "

"Nevermind." Toph flopped back onto the pillowsand fell suddenly silent, giving Katara a chance to look over the room.

It was a mess. Not in a 'clothes everywhere' kind of way but in a 'what on earth has she been doing?' kind of way. The floors were completely leveled, and, in addition to the stone wall she had just watched Toph put up, there was a demolished one between the bed and the door. The bed itself was messy and unkempt, and there were holes in the wall where Katara expected Toph had punched.

"Toph, what have you been _doing_ in here?" Katara asked, exasperated, turning back to stare at the blind teenager again. "This place is destroyed!"

"What? Oh, that. That's a long story." Toph said, waving the matter away. "And that's not what I want to talk to you about."

Katara sighed, placing the tips of her fingers on her forehead. "Right, of course not. What _did_ you want to talk to me about?"

"Well, this may sound weird, but..."

"What? Just say it."

"Talking."

Katara blinked. "E...Excuse me?"

Toph grunted in frustration. "I want to talk about talking. Okay? I know it sounds weird."

"You'll have to explain." Toph sat up agin, turning her head away.

"I've realized that I can't just keep everything inside anymore," Toph began, and Katara could hear the strain in her voice - - admitting weaknesses was a hard thing for Toph to do. "And there isn't many people I'd like to open up to. And of the ones there are, only one of them would be able to discuss...well, _girlier_ things...and that's you."

Toph wanted to _talk_. About _girly_ things. With _her_! Katara couldn't help but smile at the notion. Her little tomboy was finally becoming a woman! Well, when she put it that way, it sounded kind of creepy, but other than that, the waterbender was ecstatic.

* * *

Katara wasn't saying anything in response, which worried Toph. She panicked a little - - she'd already lost one friend this week thanks to her awkward teenage emotions, she couldn't afford to lose another. When the silence just stretched, she began to squirm a little.

"I'm sorry," she finally said, unable to bear the silence any longer. "It was a stupid idea, I'll just - -" Sudenly she was pulled into a bone crushing hug with the waterbender, who was positively squealing with joy, unaware of how chokingly tight the hug was. "ACK pbhbttt hair!"

She was released from the hug, but Katara's hands stayed on her shoulders.

"Oh, Toph, do you really mean it? You actually want to talk to me? About _girly things_?" To be honest, Toph was having doubts at the moment, but she refrained from voicing them. "This is so great, you have no idea! I've been dying for a girl-to-girl chat ever since Suki left! So, what do you want to talk about first? Hair? Clothes? Oops, I guess not, huh? Alright, so do you have any questions? Do you wanna go shopping in the city? Do you wanna - -"

Suddenly, Katara stopped motormouthing and let out a huge gasp.

"You wanna talk about boys - - don't you?"

Toph felt her face get hot, and she pushed the older girl's hands away.

"N-no, why would I? It's not like I have time for a relationship with all the traveling we've been doing!"

She couldn't see it, but she could actually _feel_ the huge grin that was forming on Katara's face, and it was very, very unsettling.

"You've got a boyfriend," Katara said with an evil giggle. Toph's face was probably hot enough to melt the south pole at this point, and so was her temper.

"I do not!" She protested, but it was futile - - Katara had seen something in her face, and wasn't letting it go.

"So who is it?" She asked curiously. "Is it anyone I know? Or is it someone from Omashu? Please tell me he's got a tight ass, that's always the best par- - "

"H-he's back in Ba Sing Se!" she said without thinking, cutting Katara off. "He worked with me as a palace guard." The girl grew quiet, much to Toph's relief, but it only lasted for a second. When Katara spoke again, she was considerably calmer.

"Oh, a long-distance relationship, huh?" She said, and Toph felt her scratching her head. "Well, I know about those. What's his name?"

"Jin." She said quickly, thinking of the only palace guard she had worked with who was her age. He was a believable person, in her mind. "His name is Jin."

"Jin," Katara mused. "He sounds muscular. What's he like?"

What was Jin like? She didn't really know...she didn't spend much time with him. "Well, he's...silly and goofy, always getting in trouble and sleeping on the job." she said, thinking back to all the times she'd had to reprimand him for falling asleep on the night shift.

"But I bet when you're off duty, he's the sweetest thing, right?"

"Uh..." She'd never really hung out with Jin while off-duty... "Yeah, he is. He's a little distant sometimes, and it bothers me, but he has his moments of pure heart where I know he's mine." She felt herself blushing, knowing that she wasn't talking about Jin anymore. "He's funny, and stupid, and a genius all at the same time. He makes me laugh. He makes me cry. And when we kiss...the world stops turning..."

She felt Katara's warm stare, and blushed even more. She had just kind of gone off, without realizing it. They were quiet as Toph pretended to miss Jin and Katara smiled knowingly at her.

"I know what you need!" Katara said after a few minutes.

"A really long stick with which to poke him from a safe distance?" Toph asked, earning a weird feeling from Katara.

"You can't see, but I'm rolling my eyes. No, you need to send him a letter!"

* * *

_**Poor, Poor Toph...What has she unleashed? I have a feeling that letter isn't going to go the way she wants...and it might come back to bite her in the ass...**_

_**Please review :D**_


	9. Ch 9: Apology Sort of Accepted

_**You know, ONE reviewer is just being a total Negative Nancy (you know who you are). If you don't like the story, then don't read it, and don't review. It's a waste of your time. Constructive criticism is welcome, but don't be so darn negative about it. Don't be telling me to stop the Zutara stuff. It's part of the storyline, which I'm not going to change on the whims of an anonymous veiwer. I appreciate that you're reading, but you'll just have to take what I give you, because I'm the one writing it. If you want a story to fit your whims, go write one yourself.**_

**_I don't mean to sound like a jerk, I'm just letting you know._**

**_Sorry to everyone else, let's get on with the story._**

**_*cleanses negative energy in the room*_**

* * *

Toph sat in the courtyard garden, on one of the stone benches, enjoying the feeling of the sun on her face. She had been inside, telling Katara what to write in the letter the waterbender had insisted upon, but after a few minutes it had become evident that the girl wasn't listening to a word Toph said and was writing a sappy love letter all on her own. So Toph had slipped out of the room, wondering exactly what she had just unleashed upon herself.

She had wandered a few minutes, stumbling upon Zuko and promising not to tell anyone about his secret affair. Th crowned prince had been so relieved, he'd actually swept her up in a huge hug, which was extremely out of character for him.

So now she was here, alone, enjoying nature's bounty in the garden. She sighed as she wondered what unspeakable things Katara must be writing in that letter, and how much trouble she would be in when Jin actually got it. As if her life wasn't complicated enough right now.

"I thought you'd be out here," came Sokka's voice from behind her. She immediately perked up, a big smile finding it's way onto her face.

"Yeah? What of it?" she asked playfully, and she felt him sit down next to her.

"Nothing, It's just nice to see how beautiful you look with all these flowers around you," he said, and he tipped her chin toward him, planting a kiss on her lips.

She felt her face heat up as she pushed him away roughly. "Sokka, we're out in the open! What if somebody sees us?"

He chuckled. "Like who? Zuko's been gone all day, Aang won't even come out of his room, and Katara's holed up in yours writing a love letter to some guy named Jin. By the way, who's Jin?"

"My fake boyfriend," she said bluntly, and she could feel his confusion. "It's a long story, forget it."

He seemed like he wanted to ask more, but shrugged and let the subject drop. He leaned back, his hands gripping the edge of the bench, and looked up at the sky. They were quiet, enjoying the nice day, until Sokka broke the silence. "Hey, Toph?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we talk about something?"

"Shoot."

"It's about that night...when we..." He trailed off, and she got the point.

"Go ahead." She said, getting a weird feeling about where this was going.

"I know you said you...and I said..." He stopped and rubbed the back of his neck nervously, and then took a deep breath, starting over. "I hate being all serious like this, but I have to ask. Do you - -"

"Sokka." They both turned, startled, towards the voice. Aang's voice. Toph felt the heat rising in her cheeks. She was still mad at him, and walking in on their conversation just when it was getting important wasn't making it any better.

"Oh, hey Aang. I thought you were in your room? What's u - - " Sokka began.

"Can I talk to Sifu T? Alone?" He asked, cutting Sokka off. "Please. I need to talk to her."

She felt Sokka turn and look at her, and then back at Aang. After a moment of silence, he nodded, surreptitiously squeezing her hand as he stood up.

"We'll talk later, okay, Toph?" He said warmly, and he walked away.

She felt the airbender take his seat next to her, and made it a point to turn her body and face away from him. She could tell this was discouraging, because he slumped forward, putting his head in his hands with a sigh. He sounded distressed, and she felt a pang of guilt, but it was quickly squashed by reasoning. They didn't say anything for a while, which made Toph kind of angry. Didn't he say he wanted to talk? She didn't hear any talking. Well, at least if he wasn't talking he wasn't calling her 'Sifu'. She hated that.

"Sifu T, I - - "

"Stop it." She said, twirling to face his general direction and twitching at the honorific. She couldn't do it anymore. Before, she'd dealt with the word because it was how he was and she didn't want to hurt his feelings. But now, she was mad at him, and would be voicing her opinion. "Stop it right now."

"Stop what?" He asked, genuinely confused.

"Calling me 'Sifu'," she explained. "I haven't taught you anything in years, and I'm technically the same age as you, so it's weird. It creeps me out, okay?"

He was quiet for a moment, taking it in, and then she felt him smile. "Alright, I'll call you Toph."

"Did I say you could?" she snapped. "I'm still mad at you, you know. So until I forgive you, you will address me as Mistress Toph Bei Fong, Ultimate Earthbender, or Metalbending Queen."

With that, she crossed her arms and turned away from him. It was childish, she knew, but since he was obviously here to apologize, she might as well get an entertaining nickname out of it. Or, he might just get mad again and walk away, which was also fine with her, because she didn't know if she was ready to forgive him just yet.

"Okay," he conceded, much to her surprise. "Mistress Toph Bei Fong, I have come to seek forgiveness of my actions yesterday evening. I was wrong, and out of line. I let my emotions run the conversation." Was he...bowing? Sure enough, she could feel the airbender had leaned down, his nose and hands on the stone bench beside her. "I shouldn't have yelled at you, Si...Mistress. I'm sorry."

Toph sat there, shocked. What was she going to do now? He was literally _begging_ for forgiveness. Forgiveness she was hesitant to give. He'd even gone along with her stupid nicknames, and was _bowing_ to her, and yet she couldn't decide whether or not to forgive him.

She stood up quickly. "Get up," she ordered, and he did, scrambling to his feet with a hopeful air about him. She could feel his anticipation, and sighed inwardly.

* * *

He sat there, nose to the bench, wishing hopefully that Toph would accept his apology.

He'd been a wreck since the fight, mad at himself for hurting her, mad at her for hurting him. He had just gotten her back in the group three weeks ago, he couldn't lose her already. The truth was, he _needed_ her in the group. He _needed_ her to talk with him, to laugh with him. He'd been feeling so left out lately, with Katara being so distant and everyone else having totally functioning relationships...well, except Sokka, but he'd needed Toph since before Sokka and Suki broke up. He'd spent a long time formulating this apology, wording it perfectly and practicing the pleading tone in his voice. He wanted his friend back, and if he had to grovel to do it...then so be it. It wasn't below him.

He'd been surprised at the 'Sifu' comment. He hadn't even thought about it before, how she wasn't really his Sifu anymore. He wasn't aware that it had bothered her so much. He had almost laughed out loud when she threw nicknames at him, but had agreed, wanting so badly to make this apology work.

He felt movement and looked up. She had stood up, back still to him. Her hair was still down, and he wondered in passing if she'd lost her headband or something. But then, she was also wearing the same outfit as yesterday, and thus had probably fallen asleep in it. It was a little wrinkled, but that didn't ruin it's charm - - her fire nation outfit had always been her best, especially when she wore it without the vest like she was now.

"Get up," she said suddenly, forcing him to blink out of his hypnotic staring. He scrambled to his feet and stood behind her, anticipation coursing through his entire body. When she didn't say anything, he prompted her.

"Do you - - "

"I accept your apology," she said decisively, turning and facing him. His heart leapt, and he couldn't stop himself from hugging the girl, ignoring her protests. He squeezed her tight and squealed a thousand thank yous before she managed to pry him off and push him away.

"Thank you!" He said again, only to see the angry look on her face and stop.

"Just because I accepted your apology," she snarled. "does not mean I forgive you."

"I don't follow."

She smacked her forehead. "You and Katara with the not following, oh, Earth...Listen, Twinkles, forgiveness doesn't come that easy. It's something you have to work for, got it? An apology doesn't take back words, but actions can counteract them. You've got alot of sucking up to do before I forgive you."

He smiled brightly at her, even though he knew she couldn't say it. "Whatever you say, Metalbending Queen. I will do whatever it takes."

* * *

"Done!" Katara exclaimed, holding up the letter triumphantly. She was quite satisfied with the way it had turned out, especially since Toph had left, letting her do as she pleased with it.

_Dear Jin,_ it read. No, wait - - Katara picked up the brush again. '_DearEST Jin'_ There we go.

_Dearest Jin,_

_I have been mourning our seperation ever since I made the decision to leave Ba Sing Se. I didn't realize exactly what I was leaving behind, and when I did realize it, the freedom to travel became significantly less important. I am having a friend draft this letter for me as I tell her what to write, so that I may express how I feel through a new medium..._

Katara grinned. Oh, Toph was _so_ getting some when she saw this boy again...

* * *

_**Gosh darnit, Katara. *shakes head* Why do you have to make things so much harder? Heh heh, "Mistress Toph Bei Fong". Sounds like something they might use in a nuaghty role play.**_

_**Yay! I actually got this done before camp! I'm leaving for my drama camp today, so, I'm sorry, but there won't be any new chapters for at least 11 days. I know, it makes me sad, too...**_

_**Please review so I'll have feedback to work with when I come back!**_


	10. Ch 10: The Great Escape Part I

_**Wow, okay, so it has been an awful long time since I have written, but I have had a lot going on in my life. Thank you for the reviews! I'm sorry I made you wait so long!**_

* * *

Toph sighed as the moon's rays fell through the curtains, caressing her face. She could feel Sokka's fingers twirling through her hair and hear his even breathing next to her. It was probably close to dawn, but they hadn't slept at all. Her already loose clothing had fallen away a bit, still there but no longer truly cared for, and he had lost his shirt at some point. He had come to her room late that night, most likely to talk to her about whatever he'd been trying to say earlier. But he hadn't seemed able to find the words, so they had ended up talking about everything but. And by talking, she means kissing.

"You...You are beautiful." he said suddenly. She smiled wryly, knowing that his mind was elsewhere and, sadly, that comment was not directed at her.

"That wasn't for me, was it?" she said quietly. She felt him tense up, and open his mouth to explain, but he couldn't think of anything so he closed it, and opted for silent hair-twirling again. She sighed and pushed him away, sitting up. She didn't want to deal with this right now, she didn't want to think he was thinking of someone else. "It's okay, I know."

"Toph-"

"I can tell you're thinking of her when you kiss me." Sokka went silent. She continued. "I know that. And I've accepted it. I'm holding onto the hope that maybe one day you'll really kiss me."

She felt Sokka's weight on the bed shift uncomfortably. He was searching for words, but she didn't want to hear them.

"Help me get dressed?" She asked quietly.

"What? Why?" his voiced betrayed his confusion. "It's the middle of the night."

"I want to go for a walk. Clear my head. Feel the earth."

"Alright." she felt him move over to her and a strong arm pulled her to him. She felt his words in her ear. "Do I get to pick what you're wearing?" The tone in his voice was playful. the moment of discomfort was over, and she almost welcomed his idiotic switch of attitude. She smiled.

"Go ahead."

He got off the bed and walked towards the closet. She could 'see' him going through the many outifits Bumi had put in the closet for her. "This one," he said after a few minutes. She held out her hand and let the fabric run over it. She frowned.

"Is this silk?" She asked. She could almost feel Sokka's grin.

"Yup."

"But the only silk items in that closet are fancy dresses."

"MmHmm."

"No."

"But you said I could pick!"

"I'm going for a walk in the garden, Snoozles, not riding in a royal parade!"

"But I never get to see you in pretty dresses. Not since you were younger."

She sighed. She felt his smile grow-he knew he'd won. "Fine." She stood up and put her arms out. He took care in dressing her, but he moved a little quickly compared to Katara or any of the people Kuei had hired to help her back in Ba Sing Se. He finished tying the bow on her back and kissed her on the neck.

"There. I won't be winning any bow-tying awards, but you look amazing."

He was so warm, standing next to her. She felt the breeze from the open window, and remembered that she had wanted to get out.

"Alright, I'm going for my walk now, then." She turned and walked away, barely pausing at the door, just long enough to hear him sigh and feel him shake his head. She stepped out into the hall and went towards the garden. His heartbeat got quieter and quieter the farther she got from him, and she found herself straining until finally she could no longer hear it. Alone. She sighed.

The breeze blew the silk across her skin lightly as she stepped out into the garden. She heard a nightingale-badger over in the trees. Still nighttime. The earth was calling to her, wanting her to come play, to make up for the time she'd been spending inside. With a deep breath, she sunk her consciousness into the earth, and began to walk.

* * *

"Yue, you see everything," Aang said, resting his head in his hands. "What am I missing?"

The moon shone on, but it seemed to smile sympathetically at the young airbender. He sighed and cuddled back into Appa's fur. "How about you, Appa? Do you know something I don't?"

The skybison let out a colossal yawn, then shifted a little and went back to sleep. "Yeah, maybe you have the right idea there, buddy." Aang rolled back onto his back and stared up at the moon again. He had come to the stables because everything in the castle was confusing him. Katara's mood swings, Zuko's mysterious disappearances, Sokka's out-of-character quietness...and Toph, Well, she still hadn't completely forgiven him yet.

So his head was always swimming. It never seemed to shut up. Katara, Zuko, Sokka, Toph. Katara, Zuko, Sokka, Toph. Zutara. Katuko. Tokka. Soph? He shook his head. It must be the hour, because his head was getting fuzzy, blurry with sleepiness. He guessed it was about two hours from the moon's highest point. The wee hours of the morning. He hadn't slept.

He distracted himself. Think about the rebuilding of the nations, that will help. Water tribes, peaceful. Check. Earth Kingdom, rebuilt. Check. Fire Nation, begging for forgiveness. Check.

Avatar...Unfulfilled. Sigh. Check.

Suddenly he caught a glimmer of something from the corner of his eye. when he turned to look, there was a beautiful figure standing in the garden, not too far away. A woman, he saw. He could make her out in the pale moonlight. Who was she? A spirit? Maybe. She shone like one. A person? Perhaps. She seemed solid enough. She had long black hair that was loose and curled slightly at the ends. Her dress was purple and pink, glittering under Yue's spotlight. She was walking through the garden in a daze, staring off into the distance.

Wait. He saw something on her wrist...it looked like...it looked like...

"Toph," he whispered to himself upon recognizing the bracelet. What in the spirits was she doing out this late at night? And why was she dressed like...like that? He pulled out his glider and gently wafted his way over to her, touching down lightly behind her. She didn't even twitch. He frowned. Something must be up if she hadn't noticed his presence.

"Toph?" He whispered, walking around her a little. She blinked, and turned away quickly, but not before he saw the tears in her eyes.

* * *

Silence reigned in the garden for a long time as Toph talked to the earth, telling it stories, of her time travelling, of her nights with Sokka. It seemed like such a sad story, and it seemed it would never, ever end...

"Toph?" She snapped out of it, crashing back into the real world where Aang was standing near her. She felt his heart rate speed up, and turned away from him quickly to assess the situation. Clothes? Yeah, she was clothed. Check. Hair? Loose, but there. Check. She touched her face and felt the tears streaming down. She wanted to laugh. Is this how he would always happen upon her? Sneaking up when she was in tears?

"Toph, Wha-"

"Oh, hey, Twinkles." Her voice was steady, not a hint of tears. "Didn't expect to catch anybody out in the garden at this time of night."

"Toph, what's going on? Every time I see you, you are crying. And you're out here in the middle of the night, just wandering? And dressed like a..."

"Like a what?"

"Like a, uh..." She heard him clear his throat. "What are you doing here?"

Great, she looked like a harlot. She was going to kill Sokka. Maybe drown him in mud. Or cause an avalanche. "I needed to take a walk. It's a little stuffy in the castle. I was talking to the earth." She could feel his eyes on her. "What? Yeah, I know how crazy it sounds. Get over it."

"If anyone could talk to the earth, I guess it would be you."

"Why are you out here, anyway? I'm guessing it wasn't to talk to the earth."

"No." The monk sat down on a bench, and she sat down next to him. She felt his chest reverberate with a sigh. "Everything has just been so...heavy lately. I planned this trip because I wanted us all to take a break from saving the world to hang out as friends. I wanted us to enjoy ourselves but..."

"But everyone is acting like they're on crazy pills."

"Yeah."

"I know the feeling. You just want to have fun but there's this nagging voice telling you something is wrong."

"Do you want to go someplace?" Aang asked suddenly. Toph cocked her head to one side.

"What?"

"Right now. Let's go somewhere, just the two of us. You're just as confused here as I am, we could get away from it. Bumi can take care of the others for a few days. It will be like our own little vacation." He had jumped off the bench and was holding her hands, talking excitedly. "If we look at our problems from a distance, maybe it will be easier to fix."

Toph didn't answer right away. She sat there, stunned."Just leave? No note, or things? Right now?" Sokka was still up in her room...

"Right now." He was probably looking out at the moon...

"Right at this moment?" Probably not even thinking of her...

"Right at this moment. Now."

Thinking of Suki...

She squeezed the airbender's hands. to get away from Sokka, the confusion, Katara and Zuko...Away from the secrets, with only Aang? She stopped thinking, and she heard herself say:

"Let's go."

* * *

_**Woah now. Running off with Aang on a whim? Doesn't that just make my Taang fans squeal?**_

_**I won't give away the details, but the story is about to get reaaaaallll interesting ;)**_

_**Please review! I need to know what works and stuff!**_

_**-Gracie**_


	11. Ch 11: The Great Escape Part II

_**Hey! It has been a LONG time! I tend to put things down a lot, so bear with me on times like that. But, good news is, I have not given up on this story! I still have some ideas of what to do with it, so let's see what mischief we can cause today, hmm?**_

* * *

**__**"Okay, I know this seemed like a good idea at first, but the longer we're gone, the more I start to think it isn't," Toph said, gripping Appa's saddle tightly as they flew leisurely through the air.

"Come on, it won't be that bad." She heard Aang reply from where he was steering.

"But don't you think they'll worry?"

"Nah, we've got Appa, they'll know we're okay. Besides, since when are you ever the type to worry about stuff like that? Don't you like being impulsive, too?"

It was true. Ever since her secret fling with Sokka had started, Toph had begun to worry more and more. She hadn't really been her own impulsive self lately. She missed it.

She smiled. "I suppose you're right."

"Oh, hey, there's a town! You about ready to start our impulse vacation?"

"Touch down on Earth? Is that even a question? Get down there!"

She felt a thud as Appa landed, and quickly slid down his tail and began kissing the ground. "Oh, beautiful, lovely, solid ground! I never want to leave you again! Oh, how I've missed yooouuuu..."

"Toph-" Aang started, lightly landing next to her.

"Mistress!" She reminded him playfully. He laughed a bit.

"_Mistress_ Toph. You're ruining your nice dress down there on the ground..."

Oh. Right. She was still wearing the silk monstrosity that Sokka had picked out. She felt a pang of guilt-She had just left Sokka there, expecting her to come back from a walk.

"Ugh. I hated this thing anyway. If I could make head or tail of my wardrobe then I might've picked something better." Nevertheless, she stood up and quickly bended the dirt off. "Any way we can get me something less prudent to wear while we're on our mini vacation?"

"Well, let's start into town and see what we can do. And if you're still worried about the others, we can stop by the post office and send a messenger hawk."

"Nah, they'll be fine without us. they probably aren't even worried. Heck, they probably don't even know we're gone yet."

* * *

_**{Meanwhile, back in Omashu...}**_

"What do you MEAN, Aang and Toph are GONE?" Katara shouted.

"Just what I said," Sokka retorted. "Toph went for a walk last night and never came back-I mean, she told me before she left so we'd know where she was, I wasn't with her at the time, I mean, what would I even be doing in her room at that time of...look, she left, and Aang's room is empty, and Appa's gone. No note, no nothing. They didn't even take their travel things, they just took off."

"I don't understand." Zuko interjected. "Why would they just take off like that?"

"Well, I can guess why Toph might want a little time away," Katara said with a sigh. "She's been having relationship problems."

"P-problems? Relationships? Toph?" Sokka sputtered. "No, no, what makes you say that? I'm sure it's something else entirely. Like...MOMO." He twirled on the lemur. "Normally you'd be with Aang wherever he went. Since you're not, you are CLEARLY the culprit. YOU irritated Aang and Toph and they flew away in frustration to get away from you!"

Momo chittered at the accusing finger and flew to hide behind Katara's hair.

"Yeah, you'd better hide," Sokka muttered.

"Sokka, it wasn't Momo. Yesterday Toph told me she had a boyfriend back in Ba Sing Se...I'm sure that talking about him made her miss him and Aang probably took her back to visit. They probably didn't leave a note just because they won't be gone long. I don't think we need to worry."

"But...isn't it kind of strange to make a visit anywhere without any kind of provisions or extra clothes?" Zuko added.

"Hmm, I suppose you're right. We'll send a messenger hawk to King Kuei asking if they're in Ba Sing Se. Then we'll all feel better, alright?"

"How can you be so calm about this? The Avatar and his blind friend disappear into the night, and all you have to say is that we'll send out ONE HAWK to find them? Don't you care at all?"

"Carrot-all?" They looked over to a smiling King Bumi holding up a carrot and collectively sighed.

"Fine. Send a hawk." Sokka muttered. "I'm sure you'll find them."

* * *

For a small town, their marketplace was huge-and busy. Toph could feel a couple hundred people milling about, running errands and shopping leisurely in the warm Earth Kingdom sun. She followed Aang around to a few different stalls, not really listening as he talked to the merchants about their wares. Every stall they went to someone got excited to see the Avatar and the Blind Bandit, and their process was severely slowed by the number of autographs Aang was asked to sign by the group of fainting girls that followed them around.

He asked her questions every now and then about what type of clothing she preffered, but since she didn't really care, she always shrugged. She had stopped paying attention to how Aang was selecting her outfit a long time ago-she figured getting excited about picking an outfit for a girl must be a guy-thing. Finally, she heard him make a purchase from an overly-cheery merchant with a nasally voice.

"Here, this tunic set is green and brown, earth colors. I think it'll look great on you!" Toph felt the air nomad press a soft fabric into her hands.

"What is this piece? A headband?" She said, picking up the top piece. "Because you know I have one of those."

"Actually..." She felt his heart beat pick up slightly. "Umm...Actually, it's a shirt."

"WHAT? But it's so tiny! This'll barely cover my-"

"I just asked the merchant what the young earthbender girls in this region were wearing these days! H-he said it was that, so I got it! I-if you don't like it, I can find something else!" He stammered, and she could feel him beginning to blush.

She sighed. "No, it's fine. Not like I really care about looks anyway. How'd you pay for this anyway? We didn't bring any money."

"A-avatar discount. Guess if you save the whole world people tend to give you free things! Heh heh..."

"Do you think your avatar discount can get me some people to help me put this on? Or are you gonna do it yourself?"

She smirked at the spike in his pulse rate. She did get a kick out of embarrassing him. He began to talk very quickly, a mixture of "I would never" and "That would be wrong" and "Let me see if I can find someone". She sat on a nearby bench as he scurried away to find someone to help her dress.

"Toph? Is that you?" She jumped a little...that sounded like...but it couldn't be...

"Jin?"

"Toph! It is you! Wow, I didn't even recognize you! You're dressed so nicely. Well, I suppose seeing you in anything but your palace uniform is new to me."

Jin. Her coworker at the palace and, oh yeah, her new fake boyfriend. Although, from the sound of it, he hadn't received Katara's mushy love letter yet, so he didn't know he was. What was he doing here? As far as she could tell, this town was a good ten miles outside the outer wall of Ba Sing Se.

"Jin, what are you doing here?" She asked as he sat down next to her. "Don't you have work to be doing?"

"I'm on vacation! A week late, I might add, thanks to your skipping out without warning. My family lives out here, so I'm visiting for my brother's birthday. What are you doing here? and all alone? I thought you were travelling with-"

"Toph!" They both turned at the sound of Aang's voice. "I found someone to dress you! They're over in that stall, and-"

"The Avatar!" Jin said, standing up and bowing. "A pleasure to finally meet you, sir. Although some of the other palace guards might not be so plesant, seeing as you took away their favorite gambling partner."

"Oh, pleasure to meet you, too...er..."

"Jin. I work with Toph at the palace."

"Pleasure to meet you, Jin." She 'watched' as they shook hands and then she stood up.

"You guys can keep talking, I guess. Where were those people who could dress me? I'd really like to get out of this thing."

* * *

**_Odd place to stop a chapter, but look! A mysterious friend arrives! The long-awaited Jin! Has he really gotten the letter? If he has, what does he think? Is this going to get in the way of our favorite pairing?_**

**_REVIEW TO FIND OUT!_**


	12. Ch 12: Yue Only Knows

**_Imma warn you, this chapter gets a little smutty._**

**_That being said, off we go!_**

* * *

Sokka lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. He was beginning to worry about Toph...it had been two days and nights already since they left. The Messenger Hawk had come back from the palace saying that she and Aang weren't there...and honestly, he really just missed her.

He rolled over and stared out at the moon.

"Yue, you see everything...I wish you could tell me what to do." He sighed and buried his face in his pillow. Even all the knowledge of Yue herself couldn't get himself out of this mess.

Even so, he got up and walked to the window to look up at the moon again.

"Hey, Yue, I know you can't respond to me or anything, but that's alright. You really don't need to. I just need someone to listen to me."

The moon shone on, seemingly sympathetic to her love's plight.

"I've made a mess, Yue." He continued. "I was hurt, and confused, and I took advantage of a friend...and the worst part is, I kept doing it. I like Toph, and she's been a great comfort to me, but..."

Another sigh.

He knelt by the windowsill and lay his head on his arms.

"But I can see she knows me better than I thought. And she knows who I'm always thinking about...I'm worried that I drove her away."

There was a chitter to his left and he turned to see Momo glide into his room through the open window. He patted the lemur with a sad smile on his face.

"Hey, Momo, you and Yue would tell me if Toph was in danger because of me, right?" Momo blinked and cocked his head. "Yeah, you would. I just can't shake the feeling that I've messed up...like she's out there somewhere, maybe even crying, because of me."

* * *

"Hey, Twinkles, you gonna speed up, or am I going to beat you in every race we-"

"Hey, Toph, what took you so long?"

Toph skidded to a halt, tripping herself up and rocketing forward with a shriek before balancing her self with a quick rock push-up. Aang was sitting on a rock in front of her, probably smiling stupidly at her. Breathing hard, she shoved a finger in his direction.

"You flew."

"So?"

"Cheater!" She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him into a headlock. "It was supposed to be an earthbending race, dumbface!"

"Ack-I-I wasn't aware!"

"Wasn't aware? My earthy butt you weren't! You lose! Disqualified!"

"Okay, okay! Just let me-ah!" She felt him tumble over a rock as she released him, and genuinely laughed for the millionith time that day.

"I'm just teasing." Suddenly she noticed that she was getting chilly (no thanks to the lack of fabric on her midsection from her new so-called 'Shirt', mind you.) She crossed her arms to bar the winds. "Hey, is it getting dark? We should set up camp."

She 'watched' as Aang got up, dusting himself off. She could feel the smile on his face as he mumbled an agreement.

"Although I don't know why we didn't just take Jin up on his offer earlier," she said pointedly. "Free lodging, free food? Why not? His family has an inn, it's not like we would have been in the way."

She felt Aang shift uncomfortably, and then move to set up the tent.

"Well..." he hesitated, then continued. "I dunno, it didn't seem right. It's our mini-vacation, just for us to hang out because we've missed each other. Don't you think finding someone else to hang out with kind of, I dunno, ruins the whole point?"

She thought a second. Well, it did make sense. The whole point of leaving without anything was to go far away and figure things out. She didn't think she could figure out all the heavy stuff she had on her conscience around Jin...Plus, she did kind of like the one-on-one time. Because he was physically the same age as her, Aang just seemed like he might understand what she was going through a little better than anyone else.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." She suddenly felt him stop moving. "Hey, you all done with your tent?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna make a fire real quick." She felt a burst of warmth from where Aang was kneeling to her right and gravitated toward it. With a contented sigh she stretched towards the sky and cracked her knuckles before settling down next to the fire. She felt Aang sit next to her, and thought about how convenient it must be to be able to bend ALL the elements.

"You know, it really is quite nifty to have the Avatar as your friend."

Aang laughed, and she joined in. She felt him look over, and they both started laughing again, a little harder and a little louder until they were laughing so hard her ribs hurt and she couldn't breathe. She fell over on the ground, shaking with giggles and chuckles as he fell with her, and they lay there together on the ground, just laughing, laughing for no reason but to laugh itself. She couldn't think of the last time she'd laughed so-

_They were laughing, laughing about nothing. Well, laughing about the nakedness probably. At least, she was. He was most likely just laughing because he was drunk, or because she was laughing. She was laughing because, well..._

_"I've never seen a naked man before," she teased._

_"And I reckon you never will," he responded. "Must be hard with that whole blind thing."_

_She laughed again, and ran a hand down his chest. "Maybe I should have elaborated. I've never FELT a naked man before."_

_"Oh, yeah?" His lips were soft as they pressed against her collarbone. He took her hand and slid it down to a slightly more 'southern' region. She giggled a little more. She MUST be tipsy. "And how's it working for you?"_

_"Mmm..." She let his strong hands push her down again. "It's different...but, in a good way. In a drunk way."_

_She felt him chuckle against her skin. He kissed up her neck and all around her chin until finally, finally, he reached her lips._

_"Sokka..."_

_"Toph..."_

"Toph? Toph? Hey, EARTH TO TOPH."

Toph gave an involuntary shriek as she was pulled out of her memory. She could tell that the young airbender was propped up on one elbow, giving her strange looks.

"What?" She asked, trying to seem innocent, and trying ignore the flush in her cheeks created by the flash of memory.

"You just stopped laughing all of a sudden. It was kind of...freaky. You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm...I'm fine. I'm just thinking about how we left everyone. Sokka...I mean, everyone, not just Sokka. They must feel terrible."

She felt him flop back on the ground with her and sigh.

"I suppose you're right. We'll certainly have a lot of explaining to do when we get back, huh?"

"Yeah..."

Even though she couldn't see it, and had never been able to, Toph wondered what the moon looked like, if they could see it from their spot on the mountain. If Sokka was looking up at it, at his lost ice princess. If maybe he was thinking about her, instead of Suki...it seemed so selfish but she felt half of the reason she had left was to see if he'd come after her...

And the other half was to figure out if she wanted him to.

"Hey, Aang? If I tell you a secret, will you promise not to tell anyone?"

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_**Hey! So, short chapter, but I really liked the idea of ending there, so I am. Like I said, a little smut, not much. This is definitely not a K+ story haha!**_

_**REVIEW PLEASE. I will not post the next chapter until I have some reviews...I need to know if what I'm doing is working!**_


	13. Ch 13: Confessions

**So I was browsing the Taang tag on tumblr and found inspiration in remembering my OTP (:**

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"Hey, Aang? If I tell you a secret, will you promise not to tell anyone?"

Aang looked over at Toph, surprised. Was she actually going to open up to him? Maybe this trip was a better idea than he'd originally thought...

"Y-yes, of course! You can tell me anything." he said, rolling over onto his side to face her.

She lay on her back in the grass, face turned towards the night sky. The firelight played across her body and once again Aang found himself blushing. She had really...grown...these last few years. He shook the thought away.

"Well..." she started, and grew quiet again. She took a deep breath and rolled over to face him. "Aang, how do you feel about...about sex?"

Aang blinked. Did he hear her right?

"I mean, as a monk, I just was wondering how you would feel about it, or about someone who had done...that."

Wow. He didn't know how to respond to that. He scratched his head, wracking his brain for the answer. Honestly, he didn't know how the monks would react in this situation...after all, he'd been too young when he froze himself to have gone through the education on that sort of stuff. The only reason he knew what it was and what it did was because Sokka had sat him down one day and explained it all to him.

"Um..." he muttered intelligently. Stalling was his best option. "Well, I suppose it depends on the circumstances."

"What do you mean?"

"Uhhh..." Well, he might as well give his honest opinion. "The monks were pretty chaste, but I don't really have that option because I have to rekindle an entire race...I guess if you really care for someone, it isn't so bad. Why do you ask?"

She shifted uncomfortably, and he found himself blushing due to the subject matter mixing with her...revealing...outfit...

"If I told you I wasn't _pure_ or whatever, what would you think of me?"

The point of the conversation was beginning to dawn on him. Toph had done...those things...before, and she was worried how he would feel if he knew!

"Toph, I would love you no matter what!" He said before he could stop himself. He blushed as he realized his wording. "I mean, you're my friend and I don't care what you've done or with who...you're still you."

He watched as she began to smile slightly, and he could see relief wash over her frame as she relaxed a little.

"Toph..." He had to know if he was right. "Have you...have you done...those things?" His face was hot and he was really glad she couldn't see it.

But he could see her, and the way her body stiffened was all the answer he needed.

"Oh. Wow. I didn't...I mean, I don't really..." Aang rubbed the back of his head. "Was it nice?"

_ Was it nice._ Spirits, that was the awkwardest thing he...he kicked himself internally for the lack of tact. Funny how his diplomacy was perfect in dealing with entire countries but he still coudln't talk to girls.

"Well, it wasn't _ not _ nice, I guess," she muttered. "I was pretty drunk, so I don't remember much of it."

"Oh." Aang scratched his cheek awkwardly, and they were silent for a long while.

"It was Sokka."

* * *

Katara lay contentedly next to her lover, feeling happy but guilty. She was secretly enjoying Aang and Toph being gone without a trace...It was a horrible thing to think, but Sokka was constantly in town either searching or distracting himself which meant that she could spend as much time as she wanted with Zuko and not have to worry.

Obviously she was worried about Aang and Toph, but she had to admit that in her own, selfish way, them taking off was a good thing. Besides, they had each other, and they were both really powerful benders, so they were almost definitely safe.

And it's not like she could really focus on them when Zuko was whispering in her ear.

"Are we just going to cuddle today?" He was asking playfully, nuzzling her brown curls with his nose. She chuckled. He really was so horny. He tightened his arms around her. "I mean, I'm okay with that, but you're so beautiful I can't help but want more."

She rolled over and returned his embrace, kissing his neck. He sighed and returned the kiss to her forehead. She couldn't help but wonder how this would end.

"Are you thinking about how this will work out?" She asked him. He gave a small nod. "I've been wondering that, too."

"We can't do this forever." He said begrudgingly.

"I know," she agreed quietly. She fingered her mother's engagement necklace, as she tended to do when anxious. She knew a new necklace was on the way. She could tell. She'd often come home early from teaching waterbending and find Aang shoving something in a drawer where he keeps the carving tools. He wasn't exactly subtle. Then again, neither was she, and she knew Zuko could read her thoughts as if she were an open book.

"Will you say yes?" He asked, taking her hand to stop her fidgeting with the necklace. She pushed his hand away and sat up in the bed, turning her back to him.

"I...I don't know."

He brushed her hair to one side and placed a soft, loving kiss on the back of her neck. More than ever she wanted to be able to take everything back...but whether it was her relationship with Aang or her feelings for Zuko she wanted to take back, she could never tell.

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**_OOhhh, my shipper heart. Okay guys, there's your new chapter. A bit short, but I promise the next will be longer._**

**_Thanks for reading! Please comment, I like to hear your thoughts!_**


	14. Ch 14: Back To Where We Belong

**Oh my gosh, I got so many reviews! Thank you all so much!**

**I have tried to get this chapter out as quickly as possible. Hope you like it!**

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When dawn broke the next morning, Toph and Aang began to pack up Appa, with little to no words exchanged. He didn't say, but she was pretty sure they were headed back to Omashu.

After her confession last night, they had lightly discussed the circumstances that led up to it and Aang had told her he needed a while to 'digest' the news. He had assured her he didn't care that she wasn't a virgin. She assumed he was lying, but honestly there was a huge chance all the stigma lay in Sokka. After all, he was 20 and she was 16, and he had only broken up with Suki _that day_.

But, then again, the blame was on her for saying yes, as well.

In any case, it definitely felt like their romp around the earth kingdom had come to a grinding halt after just two days.

In fact, everything was happening fast. That night with Sokka, all the stolen kisses, finding out about Zuko and Katara, fighting with aang, making up with Aang, running away with Aang; it couldn't have been more than two weeks. In two weeks she went from being Toph Bei Fong, Palace guard, to Toph Bei Fong, the girl who kisses one boy one day and runs away with another the next. Oh, and she had a love letter on the way to one more.

Not to mention she was somehow everyone's confidante, and secret-keeper. Aang complains about Katara, Sokka moons over Suki (no pun intended?), Zuko begs her not to tell.

She couldn't help but think she brought it on herself. She'd known from the start that she was setting herself up for heartbreak, but as she packed her bag tightly into Appa's saddle and settled herself, she wondered how the whole group had ended up setting itself up for heartbreak, too.

She jumped when she felt a hand on hers, not having sensed Aang moving towards her because of this damn saddle.

"Earth, Twinkles, you need to stop sneaking up on me!" She lashed quickly, pulling her hand away. She felt him sit next to her. "What? What's wrong?"

"I just...well, we've been so quiet, and you know I'm not one to let any kind of conflict stand...I thought we should clear the air before we leave."

True, he wasn't the type to let uncomfortable silence reign. He was always the one who wanted to patch things up immediately and by any way possible...a fact that definitely clashed with her own, stubborn, grudging ways. But since basically she was the one seeking his approval (Though why she needed it she couldn't understand) she went along with it.

"I just don't want you to judge Sokka," she said, shifting uncomfortably. "I mean, I got him drunk. I got _me_ drunk. It was honestly an accident."

"Even so," Aang said slowly. "Any amount of alcohol still wouldn't be able to make anyone do something they didn't really want to do."

What was he getting at?

"So, you and Sokka?" He asked. From the tenor of the question, she could tell he wasn't only talking about that night...

"He was just a kid crush." She said, simply wanting the conversation to be over. "He never even looked twice at me, but that was fine. I mean, I always kind of wanted him to...So, yeah, I might have gotten a little overexcited when he finally saw me as a..." _as a girl. _"As more than a friend. Can we stop talking about this now?"

"Okay."

She was a little put off by how quickly he conceded. Twinkles was _all about the heart-to-heart talks_. She chalked it up to his being uncomfortable.

"So are we going back then?"

* * *

Sokka slumped down onto the bench in the garden, not even registering the smell of new budding Panda-lilies. He was a mess right now, he couldn't understand what his feelings were doing.

He couldn't help but feel that he drives everyone away. Suki left, now Toph. He felt his stomach churn as he thought of how dirty he felt when kissing her, how he knew that with every kiss he was breaking her heart more and more.

Breaking his own.

If only things were different. Maybe if he had never met Suki, or never met Toph...but no, he couldn't imagine his life without either of them. It was like imagining life without Katara.

Sokka let out a string of curses and stood up to pace. He was going crazy, he was sure of it. He'd scoured the town trying to find Toph and Aang, just because he felt he'd chased her away or something. He'd been feeling so terrible about the whole thing...Toph was the only thing that would make him feel better, blowing off steam, kissing her, holding her...but then after everything was over he just felt worse. It was a vicious cycle that he couldn't help but stay entangled with.

The past few days without her had...enlightened him. It was obvious to him that real feelings were forming, and he wasn't sure he wanted that to happen. Part of him wanted to cling to the hope that Suki would come back, and the other part wanted to move on.

He sunk back onto the bench and put his head in his hands, trying to clear his mind. He hadn't gotten much sleep since Suki had left, and his insomnia had only gotten worse since Toph disappeared.

He focused on the smell of flowers around him, trying to immerse himself in the garden, to clear his mind...

"Hey, Sokka? You alright?"

He jerked his head up at the sound of Zuko's voice, and found the prince standing in front of him with a concerned look on his face.

"What?" He asked dumbly.

"You've been sitting like that for a while. I saw you from my window and thought I'd come see if you were okay." He sat down next to him on the bench.

"Huh? But I've only been here for a couple minutes."

Zuko gave him a funny look. "A couple minutes? Try an hour."

Great, now he was losing all concept of time. He sighed. "I guess I'm just all sorts of crazy right now. My love life is...less than savory."

"You and me both, buddy."

They sighed together. Sokka glanced over to him.

"So, you just up and left with us. What about Mai?"

Zuko scratched his head. "After I asked my uncle to take over as FireLord for a while so that I could travel and gain experience, she started to get really paranoid about me leaving her again. Which, honestly, I kind of did when I ran off. I've sent her a couple hawks but I have yet to see a response." There was a short pause. "I miss her."

Sokka knew how that felt. He'd often had to leave Suki behind, seeing as she had her own warriors to lead. Getting her to take off time just to go on this vacation had been hard enough. Obviously it had been a deal breaker, because, well, she was gone now.

"I definitely miss Suki," he said, hanging his head. He felt Zuko's reassuring grasp on his shoulder. "It's good to have a guy friend around that isn't Aang. I mean, nothing against the kid, but something about seeking advice from a guy who's macking on my sister just gives me the oogies."

He shuddered to emphasize his point, completely missing the mortified look on Zuko's face.

His eyes were trained on something else.

Specifically, Appa.

"Zuko, look! It's Appa!" He shrieked, jumping to his feet. A surge of overwhelming happiness and relief flooded over him as Appa landed and Toph slid down the side. _Spirits, she's okay!_

Suddenly, his mind was turned to mush when he registered her outfit.

A small, strapless, moss-green top adorned her upper body, barely bigger than her bindings. Her pants were form-fitting, hitting just past her knees, decorated with a brown and gold belt that held a small sheer skirt.

"Snoozles!" Sokka was pulled out of his hormone trance by Toph's familiar nickname for him. "What are you staring at?"

He closed the distance between them in no time, squeezing her close to him and knowing that he couldn't wait to get her alone. It was time to sort out his feelings.

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_**Yeah! Woohoo! Another chapter! I hope you like it, might be a tad short, but it's late and I have a lack of inspiration at the moment.**_

_**Please review!**_


	15. Temporary Author's Note

**Hello, there, everyone!**

**I wanted to thank you all for all your lovely comments and tell you not to despair, I will post again soon! I am working a lot of hours right now at my job and I have responsibilities as a student and a blogger (I have a Toph RP and an Ask Beast Boy that I tend to neglect sometimes), as well as a daughter, sister, and girlfriend!**

**I am trying my hardest to get the new chapter up, I'm just trying to iron out the kinks in the storyline before I write myself into a hole.**

**You all have been so supportive, even coming out to my blog to tell me how much you like this story, and I simply hate to leave you hanging indefinitely, so that's why I wanted to write this note. I wanted to make sure you knew that I am NOT abandoning this story anytime soon!**

**Again, thank you so much for your lovely comments, I'll get the next chapter out as soon as possible!**

**Love always,**

**Gracie**

**((PS, if anyone wants my blog URLS, they are myanonomouslove . Tumblr . com (Personal account) tophmelonlord . tumblr . com (Toph RP) and ask-the-green-dude . tumblr . com (BB ask blog) Don't forget to do the space thing! I love you!))**


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